Chinese Astrology - Zi Wei Dou Shu

Step 20 - Establish Ming Zhu and Shen Zhu

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Loosely translated, Ming Zhu 命主 means 'Life Master' and Shen Zhu 身主 means 'Body Master'.
There is much to be discussed about Ming Zhu and Shen Zhu, but that will be another topic.

For now, Chart Ming Zhu 命主 as per below.
The Life Palace Branch 命宫宫支 determines one's Ming Zhu.

Chart Shen Zhu 身主 as per below.
The Birth Year Branch 生年支 determines one's Shen Zhu.

Example:

Step 19 - Chart Tian Shang and Tian Shi

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Both Tian Shang 天伤 and Tian Shi 天使 are to be established in the 6th palace before/after Life Palace 命宫.
So to simplify it, Tian Shang will always be in Friends Palace and Tian Shi in Health Palace.

Example:

Step 18 - Chart Xun Kong

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Ok, this part is slightly complicated and cannot be explained in a few words.
This will make explaining easier.

"甲子旬中空戌亥" would mean:
if one is born in the Year of Jia Zi 甲子, Xun Kong 旬空 will be charted in the Xu 戌 Palace.

Why Xu 戌 Palace and not Hai 亥 Palace?
This is because, the stems and branches are paired either Yang-Yang or Yin-Yin (60-year Cycle).
And since Jia Zi is Yang-Yang, Xun Kong will be established in a Yang-branch Palace,
which in this case, is Xu Palace.

In the following year, Yi Chou 乙丑, which is a Yin-Yin, Xun Kong will be established in Hai 亥 Palace.

Followed by Year of Bing Yin 丙寅 (Yang) of which Xun Kong is established in Xu 戌 Palace again.

Example:

Birth Year being Jia Yin 甲寅, Xun Kong 旬空 would be at Zi 子 or Chou 丑 Palace.

Jia Yin being Yang, Xun Kong is established at Zi Palace (Yang).

If you are still unsure, you may check the table here.

Step 17 - Chart Jie Kong

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Example:

Pretty straightforward here, thus no need for 'working'.

Birth Year Stem being Jia 甲, Jie Kong 截空 is established at Shen 申 Palace.

Step 16 - Chart Chang Sheng 12 Shen

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The second set is named Chang Sheng Shi Er Shen 长生十二神
because the first star in the set is Chang Sheng 长生.

The Stars are as follow:
1. Chang Sheng 长生 (Beginning)
2. Mu Yu 沐浴 (Accumulating)
3. Guan Dai 冠带 (Maturity)
4. Lin Guan 临官 (Appointment)
5. Di Wang 帝旺 (Pinnacle)
6. Shuai 衰 (Fading)
7. Bing 病 (Ailing)
8. Si 死 (Deteriorating)
9. Mu 墓 (Dormancy)
10. Jue 绝 (Termination)
11. Tai 胎 (Conception)
12. Yang 养 (Development)

First of all, determine the subject's Element Phase (五行局).

This is pretty straight forward.
If one is of Water Element 水二局, establish Chang Sheng 长生 in Shen 申 Palace.

Thereafter, depending on Yin/Yang Male/Female, the other 11 Stars will be plotted sequentially
into each of the other 11 Palaces, as per the first set of stars.

Example:

The subject is of Wood Element,
thus Chang Sheng 长生 is established at Hai 亥 Palace.

The subject is Yang Female (Anti-Clockwise direction).
Thus, Mu Yu 沐浴 is established at Xu 戌 or Friends Palace.

Followed by the next star Guan Dai 冠带 at You 酉 or Career Palace, and so on,
till the last star, Yang 养 at Zi 子 or Health Palace.

Step 15 - Chart Bo Shi 12 Shen

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This and the next step involve the plotting of 2 sets of stars -
Bo Shi Shi Er Shen 博士十二神 and Chang Sheng Shi Er Shen 长生十二神.

Each set consists of 12 different stars, arranged in a fixed sequence and
each star to be allotted to one of the 12 Palaces.

The first set is named Bo Shi Shi Er Shen 博士十二神 because the first star in the set is Bo Shi 博士.
Alternatively Bo Shi Shi Er Shen is also called Shi Er Gong Tai Sui Shen Sha 十二宫太岁神煞.

The Stars are as follow:
1. Bo Shi 博士 (Cleverness)
2. Li Shi 力士 (Power Monger)
3. Qing Long 青龙 (Green Dragon)
4. Xiao Hao 小耗 (Waste)
5. Jiang Jun 将军 (Pompousness)
6. Zou Shu 奏书 (Scholarly)
7. Fei Lian 飞廉 (Slander)
8. Xi Shen 喜神 (Jubilation)
9. Bing Fu 病符 (Sickness)
10. Da Hao 大耗 (Exhaust)
11. Fu Bing 伏兵 (Deception)
12. Guan Fu 官府 (Litigation)

First of all, determine whether one is Yin Male/Female or Yang Male/Female.
The Birth Year Stem determines whether one is Yin 阴 or Yang 阳.

If one was born in the Year of Jia 甲, and Jia being Yang, he/she is a Yang 阳 Male/Female.
Or, if one was born in the Year of Gui 癸， and Gui being Yin, he/she is a Yin 阴 Male/Female.

The first star in the set, Bo Shi 博士, will be established in the palace in which Lu Cun 禄存 resides in.

If one is either Yang Female or Yin Male,
the other 11 stars in the set will be arranged in each of the other 11 palaces in an Anti-Clockwise direction.

If one is either Yin Female or Yang Male,
the other 11 stars will be arranged in each of the other 11 palaces in a Clockwise direction.

Example:

The subject was born in the Year of Jia, thus she is a Yang Female 阳女.

As Lu Cun 禄存 resides in Children Palace, Bo Shi 博士 is established in Children Palace.

The subject is Yang Female (Anti-Clockwise direction).
Thus, Li Shi 力士 is established in Wealth Palace.

Followed by the next star Qing Long 青龙 in Health Palace, and so on,
till the last star, Guan Fu 官府 in Marriage Palace.

Step 14 - Continued from previous

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(d) Hong Luan 红鸾 and Tian Xi 天喜

Example:

Move Hong Luan 红鸾 Anti-Clockwise (Zi, Chou, Yin) from Mao 卯 Palace.
Establish at Chou 丑 Palace.

Establish Tian Xi 天喜 in the opposite palace, in this case, Wei 未 Palace.

(f) Gu Chen 孤辰 and Gua Su 寡宿

Example:

Birth Year Branch being Yin 寅,
Gu Chen 孤辰 is established at Si 巳
and Gua Su 寡宿 at Chou 丑.

(g) Fei Lian 蜚廉

(h) Po Sui 破碎

Example:

Pretty straightforward here, thus no need for 'working'..
Fei Lian 蜚廉 is established at Xu 戌 Palace.
Po Sui 破碎 is established at You 酉 Palace.

(i) Tian Cai 天才 and Tian Shou 天寿

Example:

Tian Cai 天才 starts from Life Palace 命宫 and moves Clockwise.
Count till the Birth Year Branch (Yin 寅) and establish at Wei 未.

Tian Shou 天寿 starts from Body Palace 身宫 and moves Clockwise as well.
Count till the Birth Year Branch and establish at Chou 丑.

Step 14 - Chart Stars based on Birth Year (Branch)

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As this section involves lots of stars, I will break it up into Part I and Part II.

The stars that are charted based on the Birth Year Branch are as follow:

(a) Tian Ma 天马
(b) Tian Kong 天空
(c) Tian Ku 天哭 and Tian Xu 天虚
(d) Long Chi 龙池 and Feng Ge 凤阁
(e) Hong Luan 红鸾 and Tian Xi 天喜
(f) Gu Chen 孤辰 and Gua Su 寡宿
(g) Fei Lian 蜚廉
(h) Po Sui 破碎
(i) Tian Cai 天才 and Tian Shou 天寿

For this step, you will need your Birth Year Branch.

(a) Tian Ma 天马

Example:

Birth Year Branch being Yin 寅, Tian Ma 天马 is established at Shen 申.

(b) Tian Kong 天空

Example:

Chou 丑 as its first square (Zi 子), count Clockwise using the Branch Sequence
(Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao....) and stop at the square that corresponds with your Birth Year Branch.

In this example, Birth Year Branch being Yin 寅 (counting stops at Yin which is 3rd in sequence)，
Tian Kong 天空 is thus established at the square of Mao 卯.

(c) Tian Ku 天哭 and Tian Xu 天虚

Example:

Both Tian Ku 天哭 and Tian Xu 天虚 start from Wu 午 Palace.

Move Tian Ku 天哭 Anti-Clockwise (Zi, Chou, Yin..). Establish at Chen 辰.

Move Tian Xu 天虚 Clockwise. Establish at Shen 申.

(d) Long Chi 龙池 and Feng Ge 凤阁

Example:

Move Long Chi 龙池 Clockwise from Chen 辰 Palace.
Establish at Wu 午 Palace.

Move Feng Ge 凤阁 Anti-Clockwise from Xu 戌 Palace.
Establish at Shen 申 Palace.

Step 13 - Chart Stars based on Birth Year (Stem)

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The stars to be charted next are:

(a) Lu Cun 禄存、 Qing Yang 擎羊 and Tuo Luo 陀罗
(b) Tian Kui 天魁 and Tian Yue 天钺
(c) Si Hua 四化
(d) Tian Guan 天官 and Tian Fu 天福

For this step, you will need your Birth Year Stem.

(a) Lu Cun 禄存、 Qing Yang 擎羊 and Tuo Luo 陀罗

Example:

Pretty straighforward, Birth Year Stem being Jia 甲, thus Lu Cun 禄存 is established at Yin 寅.

Next, establish Qing Yang 擎羊 one square before Lu Cun 禄存,
in this case, the square before Yin 寅 at Mao 卯.

Then, establish Tuo Luo 陀罗 one square after Lu Cun 禄存,
in this case, the square after Yin 寅 at Chou 丑.

(b) Tian Kui 天魁 and Tian Yue 天钺

Example:

Pretty straightforward as well, Birth Year Stem being Jia 甲,
Tian Kui 天魁 is established at Chou 丑
and Tian Yue 天钺 at Wei 未.

(c) Ming Si Hua 命四化

The four Transformation Stars, or Si Hua Stars 四化 are namely -
Hua Lu 化禄, Hua Quan 化权, Hua Ke 化科 and Hua Ji 化忌.

There is a fixed set of Si Hua for each of the 12 years (from Jia 甲 Year to Gui 癸 Year). However,
there are slight variations among the various schools. Depending on what your Birth Year Stem
is, the Si Hua are 'attached' to 4 various Stars to 'transform' their attributes.

On a Natal Birth Chart, or Ming Pan 命盘, this set of Si Hua is called Ming Si Hua 命四化.
A second set of Si Hua is determined on a Decade Chart 大限流盘.
This set is called Decade Si Hua or Xian Si Hua 限四化.
A third set of Si Hua is further determined for a Current Year Chart 小限流盘.
This set is called Current Year Si Hua or Liu Nian Si Hua 流年四化

I will touch on this again later on in the site.

Example:

As the Birth Year Stem is Jia 甲,
Hua Lu 化禄 transforms Lian Zhen 廉贞,
Hua Quan 化权 transforms Po Jun 破军,
Hua Ke 化科 transforms Wu Qu 武曲,
Hua Ji 化忌 transforms Tai Yang 太阳.

(d) Tian Guan 天官 and Tian Fu 天福

Example:

Birth Year Stem being Jia 甲,
Tian Guan 天官 is established at Wei 未
and Tian Yue 天福 at You 酉.

Step 12 - Chart Stars based on Day of Birth

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The stars to be charted next are:

(a) San Tai 三台 and Ba Zuo 八座
(b) En Guang 恩光 and Tian Gui 天貴

For this step, you will need your Day of Birth.

(a) San Tai 三台 and Ba Zuo 八座

Example:

Born on the 26th Day.

San Tai 三台 starts from where Zuo Fu 左辅 is - Xu 戌 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Clockwise to the 26th square.
Position San Tai 三台 in Hai 亥 Palace.

Ba Zuo 八座 starts from where You Bi 右弼 is - Chen 辰 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Anti-Clockwise to the 26th square.
Position Ba Zuo 八座 in Mao 卯 Palace.

(b) En Guang 恩光 and Tian Gui 天貴

Example:

Both En Guang 恩光 and Tian Gui 天貴 are established one square BEFORE the 26th square.
Thus, 26 - 1 = 25.
Instead of counting to the 26th square, the stars will be established on the 25th.

En Guang 恩光 starts from where Wen Chang 文昌 is - Wei 末 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Clockwise to the 25th square.
Position En Guang 恩光 in Wei 未 Palace.

Tian Gui 天貴 starts from where Wen Qu 文曲 is - Wei 末 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Clockwise to the 25th square.
Position Tian Gui 天貴 in Wei 末 Palace.

Step 11 - Chart Stars based on Month of Birth

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The stars to be charted next are:

(a) Zuo Fu 左辅 and You Bi 右弼
(b) Tian Yao 天姚 and Tian Xing 天刑
(c) Jie Shen 解神
(d) Tian Wu 天巫
(e) Tian Yue 天月
(f) Yin Sha 阴煞

For this step, you will need your Birth Month.

(a) Zuo Fu 左辅 and You Bi 右弼

Example:

Born in the 7th Month.

Zuo Fu 左辅 starts from Chen 辰 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Clockwise to the 7th square.
Position Zuo Fu 左辅 in Xu 戌 Palace.

You Bi 右弼 starts from Xu 戌 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Anti-Clockwise to the 7th square.
Position You Bi 右弼 in Chen 辰 Palace.

(b) Tian Yao 天姚 and Tian Xing 天刑

Example:

Tian Yao 天姚 starts from Chou 丑 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Clockwise to the 7th square.
Position Tian Yao 天姚 in Wei 未 Palace.

Tian Xing 天刑 starts from You 酉 Palace as its 1st square.
Move Clockwise to the 7th square.
Position Tian Xing 天刑 in Mao 卯 Palace.

(c) Jie Shen 解神

(d) Tian Wu 天巫

(e) Tian Yue 天月

(f) Yin Sha 阴煞

(c) to (f) are pretty straight-forward, so just fill the stars in as stated.

Example:

Step 10 - Chart Stars based on Birth Hour

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The stars to be charted next are:

(a) Wen Chang 文昌 and Wen Qu 文曲
(b) Huo Xing 火星 and Ling Xing 铃星
(c) Di Jie 地劫 and Di Kong 地空
(d) Tai Fu 台辅 and Feng Gao 封诰

(a) Wen Chang 文昌 and Wen Qu 文曲

For this Step, you will need your Birth Hour.

Example:

Birth Hour being Mao 卯 is the 4th ShiChen 时辰.
(Zi 子(1), Chou 丑(2), Yin 寅(3), Mao 卯(4).....)

Wen Chang 文昌 starts from Xu 戌 Palace as its 1st square.
Count Anti-Clockwise to the 4th square.
Position Wen Chang 文昌 in Wei 末 Palace.

Wen Qu 文曲 starts from Chen 辰 Palace as its 1st square.
Count Clockwise to the 4th square.
Position Wen Qu 文曲 in Wei 末 Palace.

(b) Huo Xing 火星 and Ling Xing 铃星

For this Step, you will need your Birth Year and Birth Hour.

For people born in the Year of Yin 寅, Wu 午 or Xu 戌 -
Huo Xing 火星 starts from Chou 丑 Palace,
Ling Xing 铃星 starts from Mao 卯 Palace.

For people born in the Year of Shen 申, Zi 子 or Chen 辰 -
Huo Xing 火星 starts from Yin 寅 Palace,
Ling Xing 铃星 starts from Xu 戌 Palace.

For people born in the Year of Hai 亥, Mao 卯 or Wei 末 -
Huo Xing 火星 starts from You 酉 Palace,
Ling Xing 铃星 starts from Xu 戌 Palace.

For people born in the Year of Si 巳, You 酉 or Chou 丑 -
Huo Xing 火星 starts from Mao 卯 Palace,
Ling Xing 铃星 starts from Xu 戌 Palace.

Both stars will be moved in the Clockwise direction.

Example:

Birth Year is Yin 寅. Thus, Huo Xing 火星 starts from Chou 丑 Palace.
Birth Hour being Mao 卯(4), move Huo Xing 火星 Clockwise to the 4th square
and position it at Chen 辰 Palace.

Birth Year is Yin 寅. Thus, Ling Xing 铃星 starts from Mao 卯 Palace.
Birth Hour being Mao 卯(4), move Ling Xing 铃星 Clockwise to the 4th square
and position it at Wu 午 Palace.

(c) Di Jie 地劫 and Di Kong 地空

Example:

Both Di Kong 地空 and Di Jie 地劫 start from Hai 亥 Palace.

Move Di Jie 地劫 Clockwise. Establish at Yin 寅 Palace.

Move Di Kong 地空 Anti-Clockwise. Establish at Shen 申 Palace.

(d) Tai Fu 台辅 and Feng Gao 封诰

Example:

Move Tai Fu 台辅 Clockwise. Establish at You 酉 Palace.

Move Feng Gao 封诰 Clockwise. Establish at Si 巳 Palace.

Step 9 - Chart Major Stars in Tian Fu Series

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The Major Stars led by Tian Fu Star 天府 are:
太阴 Tai Yin, 贪狼 Tan Lang, 巨门 Ju Men,
天相 Tian Xiang, 天梁 Tian Liang, 七杀 Qi Sha and 破军 Po Jun.

Their positions are relative to where Tian Fu Star is.
And the rule is as follow:

The Birth Chart at the end of Step 9:

You can double-check the positions of the Stars here or here.

Step 8 - Chart Tian Fu Star 天府 (Treasury)

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The palace Tian Fu Star 天府 resides in is determined by the position of Zi Wei Star 紫微.

The following chart summarises the rule.

If Zi Wei Star 紫微 is at Yin 寅 or Shen 申 Palace,
Tian Fu Star 天府 will reside in the same palace as Zi Wei Star.

If Zi Wei Star is at Mao 卯 palace, Tian Fu Star will be at Chou 丑.
Likewise, if Zi Wei Star is at Chou 丑, Tian Fu star will be at Mao 卯.

If Zi Wei Star is at Si 巳 or Hai 亥 palace,
Tian Fu Star will be at Hai 亥 and Si 巳 respectively.

You can double-check the position of Tian Fu Star here.
By the end of Step 8, you would have successfully charted 7 Major Stars.

Step 7 - Chart Major Stars in Zi Wei Series

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The next stars to be charted are the Major Stars that are led by Zi Wei Star 紫微, namely,
天机 Tian Ji, 太阳 Tai Yang (Sun), 武曲 Wu Qu, 天同 Tian Tong and 廉贞 Lian Zhen.

Their positions are relative to where Zi Wei Star is.
And the rule is as follow:

The Birth Chart at the end of Step 7:

You can double-check the positions of the Stars here or here.

Step 6 - Chart Zi Wei Star 紫微 (Emperor)

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Zi Wei Star 紫微星, being the ‘Emperor’ Star, is the first star to be charted.

The Element Phase or Wu Xing Ju and the date of birth determine
which palace Zi Wei Star is to be established.

The Rule can be put into mathematical terms, like this:

( Birth Date + X ) / Element Phase = Y
( 生日 + X ) / 五行局 = Y

※ X and Y must be whole numbers from 1 to 9.
※ Z is the position of Zi Wei Star.

If X = 0, then Y = Z.
If X = Even number, then Y + X = Z.
If X = Odd number, then Y – X = Z. (However, there are exceptions to this rule.)

- Y indicates the number of squares to move in the Clockwise direction.

- Even-numbered X also indicates the number of squares to move in
the Clockwise direction after moving Y.

- Odd-numbered X indicates moving the specific number of squares in
the Anti-Clockwise direction after moving Y.

Example 1:

Birth Date - 12th day
Element Phase - 水二局 Water (2nd) Phase

Going by formula:
( 12 + 0 ) / 2 = 6

寅 Yin as 1st square, count clockwise and the 6th square (value Y = Z) is 末 Wei.
So, Zi Wei Star is to be established in the palace of 末 Wei.

Example 2:

Birth Date - 7th day
Element Phase - 木三局 Wood (3rd) Phase

Going by formula:
( 7 + 2 ) / 3 = 3
X = 2 = Even number.
So, 3 + 2 = 5 ( Y + X = Z )

寅 Yin as 1st square, count clockwise, the 5th square (value Z) is 午 Wu,
Zi Wei Star is to be established in the palace of 午 Wu.

Or:

寅 Yin as 1st square, counting clockwise, the 3rd square (value Y) is 辰 Chen.
Being an even number, X also moves clockwise by 2 squares and stops at 午 Wu.
Therefore Zi Wei Star is established at 午 Wu Palace.

Example 3:

Birth Date – 15th day
Element Phase – 金四局 Metal (4th) Phase

Going by formula:
( 15 + 1 ) / 4 = 4
X = 1 = Odd number.
So, 4 – 1 = 3 ( Y – X = Z )

寅 Yin as 1st square, counting clockwise, the 3rd square (value Z) is 辰 Chen,
so Zi Wei Star is to be established in the palace of 辰 Chen.

Or:

寅 Yin as 1st square, counting clockwise, the 4rd square (value Y) is 巳 Si.
Being an odd number, X moves Anti-Clockwise 1 square and stops at 辰 Chen.
Therefore Zi Wei Star is established at 辰 Chen Palace.

However, the formula does not work in ALL cases. There are exceptions.

Example 4:

Birth Date – 13th day
Element Phase – 火六局 Fire (6th) Phase

Going by formula:
( 13 + 5 ) / 6 = 3

In this case, X (5) > Y(3)
Going on to the next step, ( Y – X ), we will get a negative number ( 3 – 5 = -2 ) and
the assumption of simply moving 2 squares anti-clockwise (to 丑 Chou) would be wrong!

In this case, to prevent errors, we shall do it manually.

寅 Yin as 1st square, counting clockwise, the 3rd square (value Y) is 辰 Chen.
Being an odd number, X moves Anti-Clockwise 5 squares backwards and stops at 亥 Hai.
So, Zi Wei Star should be correctly established at 亥 Hai Palace.

But what happen if one's Birth Date has a value smaller than his Element Phase?

For example, one who has a Fire (6th) Element Phase borned on the 4th day,
or one who has a Water (2nd) Element Phase borned on the 1st day?

The Rule then changes in such situations.

To simplify the Rule,

For people:

1. Who are of Water (2nd) Phase 水二局 ,
- borned on the 1st day, establish Zi Wei Star in 丑 Chou Palace.

2. Who are of Wood (3rd) Phase 木三局 ,
- borned on the 1st day, establish Zi Wei Star in 辰 Chen Palace.
- borned on the 2nd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 丑 Chou Palace.

3. Who are of Metal (4th) Phase 金四局 ,
- borned on the 1st day, establish Zi Wei Star in 亥 Hai Palace.
- borned on the 2nd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 辰 Chen Palace.
- borned on the 3rd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 丑 Chou Palace.

4. Who are of Earth (5th) Phase 土五局 ,
- borned on the 1st day, establish Zi Wei Star in 午 Wu Palace.
- borned on the 2nd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 亥 Hai Palace.
- borned on the 3rd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 辰 Chen Palace.
- borned on the 4th day, establish Zi Wei Star in 丑 Chou Palace.

5. Who are of Fire (6th) Phase 火六局 ,
- borned on the 1st day, establish Zi Wei Star in 酉 You Palace.
- borned on the 2nd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 午 Wu Palace.
- borned on the 3rd day, establish Zi Wei Star in 亥 Hai Palace.
- borned on the 4th day, establish Zi Wei Star in 辰 Chen Palace.
- borned on the 5th day, establish Zi Wei Star in 丑 Chou Palace.

Back to the example i was using all along,

( 26 + X ) / 3 = Y
Y = 9, move 9 squares Clockwise from 寅 Yin ; stops at 戌 Xu.
X = 1, move 1 square Anti-Clockwise from 戌 Xu ; stops at 酉 You.

Zi Wei Star is established at 酉 You Palace.

You can double-check your calculation here (if you still aren't too sure).

Step 5 - Establish Element Phase 五行局

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The next step is to establish one's 五行局「Wu Xíng Jú」 or 5 Elements Phase.

The rule here is, the Life Palace Stem and Branch determines one's Element.
To simplify this step, please refer to the summarised Table.

In the example provided, the Life Palace Branch being 巳 Sì, and the Stem of the Year of
Birth being 甲 Jia , therefore, the owner of this Birth Chart has the Element of Wood 木三局.

To double-check, refer to the 花甲纳音「Huā Jia Nà Yīn」 Table. In this case, the owner of the chart
has her Life Palace at 己巳, therefore she is a 大林木 (Forest Trees), which is Wood Element 木三局.

Now that we've completed the framework of the Birth Chart, we will be proceeding to the mapping of the Stars.

Listing the 12 Palaces 十二宫

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The rule to apply here is "Anti-Clockwise" in the following sequence:

1. Life Palace 命宫 , 2. Siblings Palace 兄弟宫
3. Marriage Palace 夫妻宫 , 4. Children Palace 子女宫
5. Wealth Palace 财帛宫 , 6. Health Palace 疾厄宫
7. Travel Palace 迁移宫 , 8. Friends/Servants Palace 仆役宫
9. Career Palace 官禄宫 , 10. Property Palace 田宅宫
11. Fortune Palace 福德宫 , 12. Parents Palace 父母宫

Your chart will look like this:

Step 4 - Establish Palace Stem 宮干「Gōng Gān」

Each Palace, besides its own Earthly Branch, has its Heavenly Stem as well. It is
called the Palace Stem or 宮干「Gōng Gān」. However, as there are only
10 Heavenly Stems, 2 of the stems will be repeated to fill up all 12 Palaces.

The rule here is, the Year of Birth decides which stem goes into which palace.

To chart the Palace Stems, memorise the Golden Rule:

安十二宮天干诀
Establish Palace Stem

If that proves too hard, this Table is derived from the above phrases.

Another easier way of doing it with the help of the Table is this:

Using the same example, the Year of birth being the Stem of 甲 Jia (寅 Yín is Year Branch),
and Life Palace is at 巳 Sì, therefore the Stem of Life Palace is 己 Ji.

Thus, we say, Life Palace 命宫 is located at 己巳.
(This is important when interpreting the chart because interpretions are
based on each Palace's Stem-Branch, or in short, Palace Address 宫位「Gōng Wèi 」.)

Subsequently, fill up the rest of the palaces with the Heavenly Stems
(Clockwise direction). Take note when charting the 2 repeated Stems.

By now, your chart should resemble this:

The Sequence of the Heavenly Stems is as follow:

Setting up Life and Body Palace 命、身宫

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Step 2 - Establish Life Palace 命宫「Mìng Gōng 」

The rule to apply here is "Months Clockwise, Hours Anti-Clockwise".

That is, starting from the square of 寅「Yín 」, which is the 1st Lunar Month,
count in the Clockwise direction, the number of the month in which you are born into.

Which means, if you are born in the 7th Lunar Month, then count 7 Squares.
So 寅「Yín 」 would be 1st Lunar Month, and the 7th Month would be 申「Shēn 」.

Next, taking the last square you stopped at to be the first Shi Chen, which is 子「 Zi 」Hour in this
example, count in the Anti-Clockwise direction and stop at the Shi Chen at which you were born.

The Sequence for 时辰 Shi Chen is this:

Which means, if you were born at 卯「Mao 」Hour (4th Shi Chen), and count 4 squares
Anti-Clockwise from 子「 Zi 」, you will now be at the square of 巳「 Sì 」.

Thus, Life Palace will be established at 巳「 Sì 」 - 命宫在巳.
You can double-check the chart here to confirm.

Step 3 - Establish Body Palace 身宫「Shēn Gōng 」

The rule is "Months Clockwise, Hours Clockwise".

Using the same example, instead of counting Anti-Clockwise for the Hours or Shi Chen,
we will now count in the Clockwise direction to establish Body Palace 身宫.

So, the Body Palace will be at 亥「 Hài 」 - 身宫在亥.
You can double-check the chart here to confirm.

By the end of Step 3, you will get something like this:

To summarise the Golden Rule for Steps 2 and 3 :

安命宫及身宫诀
Establish Life and Body Palace

Setting up Chart - 命盘

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In ZWDS, there are basically 3 types of Charts -

① Heaven Chart 天盘「Tiān Pán 」
- the original chart determined at birth, also called 命盘「Mìng Pán 」;
used to determine one's overall fate and luck.

② Earth Chart 地盘「Dì Pán 」
- also called Decade Chart 大限流盘「Dà Xiàn Liú Pán 」;
used to determine one's decade's luck.

③ Man Chart 人盘「Rén Pán 」
- also called Current Year Chart 小限流盘「Xiao Xiàn Liú Pán 」;
used to determined one's yearly luck.

Right now, we'll proceed to setting up of 命盘「Mìng Pán 」.

Step 1 - Get Birth Date

First, get hold of your Year, Month, Date, Time and Place of birth.

Convert it to China-Beijing Time Zone.

In ZWDS, the place of birth is relevant as calculations is based on China-Beijing
Time Zone (GMT +8). You can convert to Beijing Time Zone here.

If you are from Singapore, the Time Zone is GMT+7, not GMT+8.
The clock was adjusted earlier by 1 hour due to commercial reasons.

Then, convert the Birth Date to Lunar Calendar. You can do it here or here.

As for the Time of Birth, please refer to this chart.

One thing to note for people born in the Rat Hour or
子「 Zi 」 Shi Chen which is 2300 hrs - 0100 hrs.
If you are born between 0000 hrs to 0100 hrs, your Lunar Date of Birth
would be counted as the next day.

For example, if your date of birth is 16th day of 5th Lunar Month,
and you are born at 0021 hrs, then, the actual date of birth would
be counted as 17th day of 5th Lunar Month instead. So please take note.

To check if you are born in a year with intercalary months, or 闰月 Run Yue, here is a very good tool.
For people born in a intercalary month, there are two different ways of setting up your charts.

1. As long as you are born in a intercalary month, your birth month is taken to be the following month.

2. If you are born after the 15th day in the intercalary month, your birth month is
taken to be the following month. But if you are born in the first half of the month,
then your birth month would be the previous month.

For example, if you are born on June 18 1974, the second half of the intercalary
month, take your birth month 生月 to be the 5th month, which is the following month.
But if you are born on May 28 1974, the first half of the intercalary month, take
your birth month 生月 to be the 4th month.

The different methods came about due to the different schools of thoughts. But
whichever method you chose, be sure to stick it throughout the setting up of your chart.
You can set up another chart with the other method if you find your chart grossly inaccurate.

The easiest way to get a blank chart would be to fold a piece of paper into
half 4 times before opening it up. This way you will have a paper with the
necessary squares without needing to draw lines.

Once you get the empty chart, write down the Birth Date (especially the now-converted
date) in the middle square as you will be needing it throughout the plotting of the chart.

Then, fill up the Earthly Branches into the 12 empty squares. Starting
from the left-bottom corner, in the Clockwise Direction in the following sequence:

The Sequence of the Earthly Branches 地支 is as follow:

Once done, you will get a chart that looks like this -

4 Transformation Stars 四化曜「Sì Huà Yào 」

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「化」 by itself means transform, or to change into. In 《紫微斗数》 context, it can also mean 'to
enhance'. The 4 Transformation Stars 四化曜「Sì Huà Yào 」 'tag onto' different stars every year,
depending on the Heavenly Stem 天干「Tiān Gān 」 of the year. Nevertheless their individual
characteristics DO NOT change. Instead, what changes are the effects of the Stars that they tag onto.

The 4 Transformation Stars are :

Flow 化禄「Huà Lù 」
- Metal Element.
- Means "Transforms into Riches".
- Enhances the flow of fortune, riches, luck etc.

Authority 化权「Huà Quán 」
- Fire Element.
- Means "Transforms into Authority".
- Brings authority, power, supremacy, leadership etc.

Fame 化科「Huà Kē 」
- Wood Element.
- Means "Transforms into Name".
- Brings fame, reputation, self-satisfaction etc.

Cloud 化忌「Huà Jì 」
- Water Element.
- Means "Transforms into Trouble".
- Negates effects of stars.
- Usually indicates obstacles, dangers, risks, disputes, death etc.

At first look, any stars associated with 化禄、权、科 are good, and
any stars associated with 化忌 is bad. But it is not necessarily true.

四化曜 are a VERY big part of 《紫微斗数》, so I will go more into them at a later stage.

6 Harmful Stars 六煞曜「Shà Yào 」

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The 6 Harmful Stars are :

Turmoil 火星「Huo Xīng 」 , Turbulence 铃星「Líng Xīng 」 .
Destruction 擎羊「Qíng Yáng 」 , Obstruction 陀罗「Tuó Luó 」 ,
Nullity 地空「Dì Kōng 」 , Calamity 地劫「Dì Jié 」 .

These 6 煞曜「Shà Yào 」 are there to hamper the Major Stars and to negate
the positive effects of the Auxiliary and Assisting Stars 佐辅曜 under normal
circumstances. In some particular situations, these 煞曜 can help to counter
the negative impacts of the Major Stars (Major Stars are not ALL good).

Just as 佐辅曜 makes the differences in one's life from another's, these
煞曜 have serious influences too. In most situations, they are able to
indicate the period where one is prone to misfortune or untimely death
(caused by accidents or unforseen tragedies like murder).

From a positive perspective, 煞曜 are there to act as a reminder of possible misfortune
so that one can be more conscious of his behaviour and seek to minimise negative impacts.

Auxiliary and Assisting Stars 佐辅曜「Zuó Fu Yào 」

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The 4 Auxiliary Stars are :

Status 天魁「Tiān Kuí 」 , Reputation 天钺「Tiān Yuè 」 ,
Aide 左辅「Zuo Fu 」 , Support 右弼「Yòu Bì 」 .

The 4 Assisting Stars are :

Literature 文昌「Wén Chāng 」 , Eloquence 文曲「Wén Qu 」 ,
Treasurer 禄存「Lù Cún 」 , Celestial Horse 天马「Tiān Ma 」 .

As their names suggest, these Stars are there to support and assist the 14 Major
Stars. They are important, but never more important than the Major Stars.

An analogy to be used here is to liken these Stars to a Manager's Personal
Assistant. With a good assistant who is there to help out, the Manager would
be able to project his capability more effectively.

For 2 people to have the same Major Stars in their Life Palace, how their lives turned
out would depend on these 佐辅曜. They are the ones which make the difference.

14 Major Stars 十四正曜「Zhèng Yào 」

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There are only 14 Major Stars or 正曜「Zhèng Yào 」which are of
utmost importance among the 100+ stars in 《紫微斗数》.

Depending on one's date and time of birth, these 14 stars will land up
in specific palaces of one's chart. The Major Star (or two Stars at most)
that lands in one's Life Palace 命宫 will more or less indicate a person's
characteristics, and his general luck in life. This Star is referred to as 命宮
主星「Mìng Gōng Zhu Xīn 」, or translated loosely, Life's Main Star.

There are different ways to categorise the 14 Major Stars.

1. North and South Clusters -

North Cluster (Big Dipper) -
Emperor Star 紫微, Finance Star 武曲,
Politician Star 廉贞, Flirting Star 贪狼,
Quarrel Star 巨门, Ruinous Star 破军

South Cluster -
Mercy Star 天机, Fortune Star 天同,
Treasury Star 天府, Minister Star 天相,
Aggressive Star 七杀, Blessing Star 天梁

Central Sky - The Sun 太阳 and The Moon 太阴

2. Stars led by Emperor Star 紫微 - 廉贞 , 天同 , 武曲 , 太阳 , 天机

Stars led by Treasury Star 天府 - 太阴 , 贪狼 , 巨门 , 天相 , 天梁 , 七杀 , 破军

3. Yin and Yang -

Each star has its Yin and Yang element, and this is an important
consideration when interpreting the Birth Chart. For example, when
sitting in Life Palace and meeting lucky stars, both Mercy Star 天机 (Yin)
and Flirting Star 贪狼 (Yang) can mean intelligence and ability to learn things fast,
but because Mercy Star 天机 is Yin, the intelligence is not displayed visibly, whereas
for Flirting Star 贪狼 which has a Yang nature, the intelligence would be more apparent.

Note: The stars are only used as an example as their characteristics
would still depend on the stars they meet on the chart.

4. 5 Elements -

For example, if Politician Star 廉贞 (Fire) and Ruinous Star 破军 (Water)
both resides in Life Palace, it will produce a negative effect in normal situations
(without taking other stars into consideration) as Water overcomes Fire.

Another classification of the Major Stars is this -

The Leaders -

Emperor Star 紫微 , Minister Star 天相 , Treasury Star 天府 , Finance Star 武曲

The Pioneers (Action) -

Flirting Star 贪狼 , Ruinous Star 破军 , Politician Star 廉贞 , Aggressive Star 七杀

The Supporters -

The Sun 太阳 , Quarrel Star 巨门 , Mercy Star 天机

The Adapters -

Fortune Star 天同 , Blessing Star 天梁 , The Moon 太阴

Before I go on..

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Please take note of the following:

1. The characteristics of each Star remain constant, for example, if it is
a Yin Wood Star, it will be a Yin Wood whatever palace the Star lands up in.

2. The interpretion of the Stars in various palaces differs. What
each Star means in Life Palace is different when it is in say, Health Palace.

3. The interpretion of the Stars is also different when there are other stars
in the same palace, as compared to when it is on its own.

4. There is a rating of brightness for most of the stars.

The scale is like this:

① 庙「Miào 」 - Glitter - the brightest it can gets.
Good Stars with this rating will manifest their positive traits.
Bad Stars will not have serious impact.

② 旺「Wàng 」 - Radiant - Still very bright.
Good Stars will display their traits.
Bad Stars will not have serious impact.

③ 得「Dé 」 - Bright.
Good Stars will still be good.
Bad Stars will not have serious impact.

④ 平「Píng 」 - Twilight.
Good Stars will have minimum impact.
Bad Stars will display their negative traits without constraint.

⑤ 陷「Xiàn 」 - Dark.
Good Stars will be useless with this rating.
Bad Stars will be at their worst.

5. Even with the above scale of brightness, the Stars would still
not tell a complete picture, as it depends on what other stars in
other relevant palaces they "meet" with.

For example, to see the overall life of a person, the palaces that
are taken into account are Wealth Palace, Career Palace, Life Palace
and Travel Palace. The stars in all 4 of these palaces would then
"meet", and if a particular Glittering Good Star is sitting in Life
Palace, but the other Stars in the other 3 palaces are Dark, then it
will also render the Good Star useless or with no impact.

The Stars 星曜

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There are all in all about 108 stars in 《紫微斗数》. These stars are grouped into
different clusters and the stars commonly used in interpreting of Birth chart are :

14 Major Stars 十四正曜 「Zhèng Yào 」

★ Emperor Star 紫微「Zi Wēi 」
☆ Mercy Star 天机「Tiān Jī 」
★ The Sun 太阳「Tài Yáng 」
☆ Finance Star 武曲「Wú Qu 」
★ Fortune Star 天同「Tiān Tóng 」
☆ Politician Star 廉贞「Lián Zhēn 」
★ Treasury Star 天府「Tiān Fu 」
☆ The Moon 太阴「Tài Yīn 」
★ Flirting Star 贪狼「Tān Láng 」
☆ Quarrel Star 巨门「Jù Mén 」
★ Minister Star 天相「Tiān Xiàng 」
☆ Blessing Star 天梁「Tiān Liáng 」
★ Aggressive Star 七杀「Qī Shà 」
☆ Ruinous Star 破军「Pò Jūn 」

Auxiliary and Assisting Stars 佐辅曜 「Zuó Fu Yào 」

☆ Status 天魁「Tiān Kuí 」
★ Reputation 天钺「Tiān Yuè 」
☆ Aide 左辅「Zuo Fu 」
★ Support 右弼「Yòu Bì 」
☆ Literature 文昌「Wén Chāng 」
★ Eloquence 文曲「Wén Qu 」
☆ Treasurer 禄存「Lù Cún 」
★ Celestial Horse 天马「Tiān Ma 」

6 Harmful Stars 六煞曜 「Shà Yào 」

◆ Turmoil 火星「Huo Xīng 」
◇ Turbulence 铃星「Líng Xīng 」
◆ Destruction 擎羊「Qíng Yáng 」
◇ Obstruction 陀罗「Tuó Luó 」
◆ Nullity 地空「Dì Kōng 」
◇ Calamity 地劫「Dì Jié 」

4 Transformation Stars 四化曜 「Sì Huà Yào 」

▲ Flow 化禄「Huà Lù 」
△ Authority 化权「Huà Quán」
▲ Fame 化科「Huà Kē 」
△ Cloud 化忌「Huà Jì 」

Other Stars 杂曜 「Zá Yào 」

◆ Felicity 天官「Tiān Guān 」
◇ Luck 天福「Tiān Fú 」
◆ Age 天寿「Tiān Shòu 」
◇ Talent 天才「Tiān Cái 」
◆ Hindrance 天空「Tiān Kōng 」
◇ Interference 截空「Jié Kōng 」
◆ Void 旬空「Xùn Kōng 」
◇ Worries 天虛「Tiān Xū 」
◆ Arrows 蜚廉「Fei Lián 」
◇ Suffocation 破碎「Pò Suì 」
◆ Tears 天哭「Tiān Kū 」
◇ Lurker 阴煞「Yīn Shà 」
◆ Punishment 天刑「Tiān Xíng 」
◇ Lure 天姚「Tiān Yáo 」
◆ Elevate 天巫「Tiān Wū 」
◇ Suppress 解神「Jie Shén 」
◆ Appeal 红鸾「Hóng Luán 」
◇ Joy 天喜「Tiān Xi 」
◆ Sickness 天月「Tiān Yuè 」
△ Three Steps 三台「Sān Tái 」、Eight Seats 八座「Bā Zuò 」
▲ Detriment 天伤「Tiān Shāng 」、Messenger 天使「Tiān Shi 」
△ Flying Dragon 龙池「Lóng Cí 」、Phoenix 风阁「Fèng Gé 」
▲ Resolute 台輔「Tái Fu 」、Banner 封誥「Fēng Gào 」
△ Benefactor 恩光「Ēn Guāng 」、Beloved 天貴「Tiān Guì 」
▲ Lonely 孤辰「Gū Chén 」、Widowing 寡宿「Gua Sù 」

The names of the stars are loosely translated in English and do not give the
full picture of the stars. Each star has its own characteristics and most stars
are either Yin or Yang and has an element attached to it. They are interpreted
differently depending on which Palace they landed up in, and the stars they
cross path with. They also have different range of brightness, or some may
even lose their shine, and all these affect the reading of the Birth Chart.

Parents Palace 父母宫

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父「Fù 」means Father. 母「Mu 」means Mother. As its name suggests,
this palace has everything to do with one's parents. It covers their general
luck, martial bliss, health and longevity and to a certain extent, their character.

The karmic relationship with one's parents is also indicated here. Whether
a lot or little help comes from them (help could be in monetary terms or
advice), or the parents-child relationship is in good or bad shape, all
these fall under karmic relationship.

There is a Chinese saying, 一日为师，终身为父「Yī Rì Wéi Shī, Zhōng Shēn Wéi Fù 」,
which means, a teacher is respected and treated as you would a father. So, one's
relationship with his teachers and mentors can be indicated in 父母宫 as well.

Fortune Palace 福德宫

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There are various names for this Palace such as, Fortune Palace,
Virtue Palace, Karma Palace, Happiness Palace etc. But all these
names do not do justice to its Chinese name 福德宫「Fú Dé Gōng 」.
For convenience sake, I'll just call it Fortune Palace here.

福「Fú 」 means Happiness, Fortune, Good Luck, Blessing. From the
Chinese perspective, 福 is very abstract and subjective. One needs
not be born rich or smart to be considered fortunate or blessed. As long as
one is satisfied and contented with one's living, and has peace of mind,
he is considered happy and blessed.

One's desire to enjoy life is also indicated here. For example, one can be rich, yet
scrimps and saves on meals or one can be poor but enjoys good food (the best he
can afford). Thus, this palace also covers one's ability to manage his wealth outflow.

德「Dé 」 means Ethics, Morals, Virtue. Ethics and morals can be shaped by
beliefs, or vice versa. How one behaves does not necessarily reflect his thinking.
福德 reveals one's psychological aspects such as, mental state of happiness,
stress, emotional state, contentment, spirituality etc. Whether one is optimistic
or pessimistic, or has inclination to suicide is also indicated here.

Generally, if a person has a weak 命宫,
a strong 福德宫 can make dramatic changes to his life.

One with good morals will beget good fortune.

A happy state of mind will beget longevity.

Property Palace 田宅宫

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In the past, people work in the fields to have their food. Their houses
are where they stay after a hard day's work. The field 田「Tián 」 where work is
done under sunlight is 阳「Yáng 」, and the house 宅「Zhái 」 where they
sleep at night is 阴「Yīn 」. Thus, 田宅宫「Tián Zhái Gōng 」 literally
means Field and House Palace, and needs a balanced 阴 and 阳 .

In modern context, since most people are no longer farmers, Field is
equivalent to one's place of work or business assets such as factories.

A home is where one grows up in (parents' house), and also where one will
be settling down with your spouse and children. One's living environment
is indicated here, and covers his extra-marital affairs as well.

Other things like inheritance (from parents or grandparents), how much
properties one is likely to own, and the quality and security of one's
properties (whether the house is likely to collapse, or catch fire etc.)
are also indicated in 田宅宫.

Career Palace 官禄宫

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官「Guān 」 means Official. 禄「 Lù 」 means Wealth.

In ancient China, (actually even now too, if you are in Singapore), being an
Official or Politician will assure one a life of riches and wealth and stable career.
So 官禄 used in the modern context refers to Career - work that brings in
wealth (and sometimes glory) and brings about stability in one's life.

官禄宫「Guān Lù Gōng 」 simply indicates what kind of career one should pursue,
one's job achievement, ability in mastering the job, promotion prospects, reputation,
business-related lawsuits, and whether one is suited to be an entrepreneur etc.

Not everyone has a job, but that does not mean 官禄宫 is redundant.

For a housewife, her 'workplace' would be her home. Whether her house
is spick and span or a junkyard can be deduced from 官禄宫. School is a
student's 'workplace' and 官禄宫 would indicate his ability in school. For
the old and retired, it would indicate how they fare in their social lives.

Friends/Servants Palace 仆役宫

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仆「Pú 」 means Servants and 役「Yì 」 means service.

Hiring servants/slaves were pretty common in the olden days, especially
for the rich. Originally, 仆役宫「Pu Yì Gōng 」 was about one's servants
and subordinates as the Emperor(s) wanted to know the loyalty of his
officials and servants. However, servants and subordinates were the
closest people to the Imperial family as there was daily interaction.
So for this reason, this palace was also called Friends Palace.

Even though there is no longer slavery now, the original meaning is retained,
and indicate one's relationship with subordinates at work or domestic helper
at home; any hired help will fall into 仆役宫. Whether one's subordinates or
helpers are competent and of great help is also indicated.

Friends are important people in one's growing up years. The Chinese
saying, 近朱者赤, 近墨者黑「Jìn zhū zhě chì, jìn mò zhě hēi 」rings true
for most people. Friends are able to influence one's beliefs and behaviour,
sometimes more than any other people would.

So, the kind of friends one has will shape his life to some extent. Whether one's
friends are true and loyal or are just weather friends or backstabbers, bring happiness
or troubles, all these will be indicated in here. 'Friends' here covers close friends,
acquaintances, classmates, girlfriends/boyfriends, business partners and network.

If one is a public figure, celebrity or performer, his rapport with his supporters,
fans or audience will be covered in 仆役宫. If one is a teacher or mentor, his
relationship with his students or disciples will also be indicated here.

In the olden days, one finds his status through servants.

But in this age, one needs his friends to find himself.

Travel Palace 迁移宫

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迁移「Qiān Yí 」 means travelling, moving or shifting.

In ancient China, imperial exams were held in the capital city every few years.
Scholars from all parts of the country travelled to the capital in the hope of
attaining success in the exams. If succeeded, a life of glory and wealth will follow.

Travelling from all corners to the capital by foot is no joke. The journey would
take months or even a year, and is arduous and dangerous. Unlucky scholars
sometimes did not even make it to the capital, due to lack of funds, sickness,
or met with mishaps or bad people. Thus, the development of Travel Palace.

In the modern context, this palace is relevant to trips away from home, be it for
leisure or work-related purposes, and even daily commuting to and from home.

This palace indicates first and foremost, whether one should stay in his hometown, or
travel far to seek better achievement in career. It also indicates one's social skills and
luck when travelling; whether one gets help from strangers or meets with mishaps
and disasters etc. Specific events like traffic accidents can also be known from here.

Beside these, 迁移宫 also covers house-moving, changes in employment status.

Health Palace 疾厄宫

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疾「Jí 」 means illness or disease and 厄「È 」 means misfortune.

Simply, this palace describes one's born physique, physical health and the
type of sickness(es) one is particularly prone to getting. Serious or fatal
injuries resulted from accidents or natural causes are also indicated here.

Wealth Palace 财昂宫

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财「Cái 」 means riches and 昂「Áng 」 means rise.
So 财昂 refers to how much riches one will accumulate.

This palace covers one's level of income; whether you have to work
very hard for it or often has windfall fortunes. It describes one's
financial situation in general. The way one should make his money,
one's wealth luck and earning capacity are also indicated here.

That is not all. The focus of 财昂宫 is on how one manage his finances.
One who spends more than he earns will not be wealthy. One who earns
little but save a big portion of his earnings can only get richer. This palace
has close ties with Fortune Palace 福德宫 which covers cash outflow.

In the modern context, 'Wealth' is no longer defined in dollars and cents.
When determining the overall wealth of a person, Property Palace 田宅宫
and Fortune Palace 福德宫 have to be taken into consideration as well.

Most experienced fortune tellers are not willing to predict the exact period
of one's sudden wealth luck or windfalls. Such things are better left not known.

Children Palace 子女宫

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子「Zi 」 means son, and 女「Nu 」means daughter.

子女宫「Zi Nu Gōng 」 covers everything that has to do with one's
next generation - from one's fertility, pregnancy and chances of
miscarriage to one's relationship with his children, their looks,
general character, intelligence, health and their general luck. 'Next
generation' includes one's adopted children and friends of one's children.

Additionally, this palace can also indicate one's satisfaction with
his/her sexual lifestyle (with one's spouse) and general luck with
the opposite sex (for those who are still single).

For businessmen, 子女宫 represents the company's shareholders.

Marriage Palace 夫妻宫

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夫「Fū 」 means Husband and 妻「Qī 」 means Wife.

夫妻宫「Fū Qī Gōng 」 indicates one's marital bliss, spouse's looks and
personality, whether one's spouse is more of an 'asset' or 'liability'.
Separation, divorce, or death of one's spouse can also be deduced from here.

Chinese believe that one's affinity with his/her spouse has something
to do with karma, which is why the saying, "Beauty lies in the eyes of
the beholder". A deep affinity will make a marriage last longer whereas
casual affinity will result in a premature separation or divorce.
One will be able to find the explanation in his/her 夫妻宫.

Note: In ancient China, couples were matchmade and saw each other for
the first time (usually) on their wedding day. So I'm not too sure whether
the accuracy is there by using 夫妻宫 to analyse steady relationships or lovers.

Siblings Palace 兄弟宫

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Unlike Children Palace 子女宫 which is no longer accurate in predicting
the number of children one may have (due to the many many
contraceptive methods), Siblings Palace 兄弟宫 is able to indicate
how many siblings one has (depending on what are the stars in the palace).

兄弟宫「Xiōng Dì Gōng 」 is indicative of one's relationship with his
siblings; whether there is siblings rivalry or unison. Besides blood
siblings, it also covers close friends and buddies - those who are so
so close that one probably sees them more than his/her own siblings.
However, these close friends will have to be those of the same generation.

For businessmen, 兄弟宫 represents business partners.

The 13th Palace - 身宫「Shēn Gōng 」

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身「Shēn 」 means 'Body'. 身宫「Shēn Gōng 」 is the 13th Palace (aka Body Palace)
on the Birth Chart. Its position is dependent on the location of the Life Palace 命宫.
While 命宫 is 'pre-heaven', 身宫 is 'post-heaven' or called 后天「Hòu Tiān 」.

Using the cell phone analogy, 命宫 is the 'hardware' (blue-tooth, MP3 player or Java-
games capabilities,etc.) , and 身宫 is its 'software' (wallpaper, ring tone, phone list etc.).

Generally, 命宫 tends to represent one's early life (before 35 years old) and 身宫
represents the later part. For example, if 命宫 is strong, but 身宫 is weak, it would
indicate the person has an easier time till his 30s before life takes a worse turn.

And also, the location of one's 身宫 indicates where he is headed in life. Generally,

1. When 身宫 is in Life Palace 命宫 - the person is seldom affected by external
circumstances.

2. When 身宫 is in Marriage Palace 夫妻宮 - the person is attached and emotional,
committed to his/her family and can be easily influenced by his/her spouse.

3. When 身宫 is in Wealth Palace 财昂宫 - the person's ulitmate goal in life
is to make money and more money, and often his/her mood and happiness
is determined by economic factors.

4. When 身宫 is in Travel Palace 迁移宫 - the person adapts well to changes
of circumstances or environment.

5. When 身宫 is in Career Palace 官祿宮 - the person is career-minded and
seek success in the form of fame and society status.

6. When 身宫 is in Fortune Palace 福德宮 - the person places emphasis on
the quality of life, lacks the zeal and drive necessary to succeed and does
not adapt well to changes.

Note: These are only general descriptions based on the location
of 身宫 without taking the Stars in the palace into considerations.

Life Palace 命宫

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This is not called 命宫「Mìng Gōng 」for nothing. It has to do with 'pre-heaven'
先天「Xiān Tiān 」 - Destiny - and what has already been decided;
the specifications which had been *determined by the manufacturer.

This palace is the main focus of the birth chart and is concerned with one's inborn
capabilities, character, physical appearance, general luck and potential development.

The position of 命宫 is of paramount importance as it also determines
the location of the 13th Palace, 身宫「Shēn Gōng 」.

* Just to clarify:

When I said, 'determined by manufacturer' or 'pre-determined', it is just an easier
way to bring my point across. There is a certain amount of karmic element in Chinese
Astrology - what a person is now, is a result of what he was in his past life. And
where he ends up in this life, will be a result of what he makes of his present
life, given the 'specifications' he brought over from his last life.

So in short, we are our own manufacturers of our fate.

Whether there is a God or not is not relevant here.

The 12 Palaces - 十二宫

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宫「Gōng 」 or palace originated from the concept of house or temple -
a space where spirits or souls dwelt in. 'Space' does not exist outside 'time',
so each 宫 can relate to the timespan of events happening in the particular 宫.

The 12 Palaces, or 十二宫「Shí Èr Gōng 」 are arranged
in Anti-clockwise direction in this fixed sequence -

1. Life Palace 命宫「Mìng Gōng 」

2. Siblings Palace 兄弟宫「Xiōng Dì Gōng 」

3. Marriage Palace 夫妻宫「Fū Qī Gōng 」

4. Children Palace 子女宫「Zi Nu Gōng 」

5. Wealth Palace 财昂宫「Cái Áng Gōng 」

6. Health Palace 疾厄宫「Jí È Gōng 」

7. Travel Palace 迁移宫「Qiān Yí Gōng 」

8. Friends, Servants Palace 仆役宫「Pu Yì Gōng 」

9. Career Palace 官禄宫「Guān Lù Gōng 」

10. Property Palace 田宅宫「Tián Zhái Gōng 」

11. Fortune, Virtue Palace 福德宫「Fú Dé Gōng 」

12. Parents Palace 父母宫「Fù Mu Gōng 」

In addition, there is a 13th Palace called 身宫「Shēn Gōng 」or literally, Body Palace.
It is as important as any of the other 12 Palaces in interpreting one's life events.

The Chinese Calendar

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First, let's get the basics of calendars right

Gregorian Calendar or Solar Calendar - 阳历「Yáng Lì 」
This is the calendar we see on our computer. The dates are arranged in
accordance to the movement of the Earth around the Sun. Each solar year
is 365 days and is divided into 12 months, with 30 or 31 days each, with
the exception of February. Every 4 years, there is a leap year whereby
February gets 29 days instead of 28.

Lunar calendar - 阴历「Yīn Lì 」
Known as the traditional Chinese Calendar, it is based on the moon's orbit
around the Earth. The new moon day is the 1st day of a lunar month. The length
of a lunar month is the length between two new moon days which is 29 or 30 days.

Lunisolar calendar - 阴阳历「Yīn Yáng Lì 」
This is a combination of the Lunar and Solar calendars. It indicates both the
moon phase and the time of the solar year and is used to track seasonal changes.
There is a 13th month, or intercalary month 閏月「Rùn Yuè 」 in every 3 years.

Farmers' Calendar 农历「Nóng Lì 」

The Farmers' Calendar 农历「Nóng Lì 」 or originally called 夏历「Xià Lì 」
(which means Summer Calendar) is a Lunisolar Calendar and is used in 《ZWDS 》.

The calendar divides the year into 24 节气 Jieqi for agriculture (which was the principal
economy of the country). It is not normally used in day-to-day activities, but more for
dating of holidays and Chinese Astrology. It was based on a "19 年 7 闰法" which means,
in every 19 years, 7 of the years have 13 months (the extra month is 闰月「Rùn Yuè 」),
and the years which have 13 months are called 闰年「Rùn Nián 」.

You can read about its early history here.
You can convert your western birthdate to the chinese calendar here.

The first month of the year is called 正月「Zheng Yue 」.
The rest of the months are simply numbered as second, third, fourth, etc etc.

The numbering of the months varied with different dynasties.
夏 Xia Dynasty sets 寅「Yin 」 as the 1st month
whereas it was 丑「Chou 」 during the 商 Shang Dynasty,
子「Zi 」 during the 周 Zhou Dynasty and
亥「Hai 」 during the 秦 Qin Dynasty.

It was however reverted back to 寅「Yin 」 as the 1st month
during the 汉 Han Dynasty and remained so till today.

The Chinese Time Concept

A day has 12 时辰「 Shí Chén 」 and begins at 2300 hours or 11 pm. Each Shi Chen
is 2 hours and is named after each of the 12 Earthly Branches. The hour of 午「 Wu 」 is
midday from 11 am to 12 pm, which is why till today, midday is called 中午 in chinese.
Ancients also made use of sundials to track time which were arranged in this manner:

It is not hard to guess the hours each branch corresponds to since the dial looks
pretty much like our modern clocks, except now, we are looking at a 24-hour clock face.

Directional traits are also factored into the interpretion of charts.

亥「 Hai 」 and 子「 Zi 」 represent North,
巳「Si 」 and 午「Wu 」 are South,
申「Shen 」 and 酉「You 」 are West and
寅「Yin 」 and 卯「Mao 」 are East.

You will discover the uses of Branch-directions if you tour around in China.
For example, the southern gate of the Imperial Palace in Beijing is called
Wu Men 午門, corresponding to the branch which represented the direction of South.

To summarise,

Basics - Hua Jia Na Yin and 五行局

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Since each Stem 干 and Branch 支 has its own Yin or Yang Element, and Year, Month, Date
and Time are derived from the Stems and Branches, one is borned with a specific Element.
In ZWDS, one's specific Element is termed “五行局「 Wu Xíng Jú 」”. The purpose of 五行局
in ZWDS is to determine the placement of the Zi Wei Star (the first start to be charted),
and to establish the decade luck cycles. However some practitioners use it to assess the
overall chart and general picture of one's pre-determined destiny, or to put it in another
way, one's hidden qualities. How you are going to rectify your flaws or to maximise your
assets can be known from the stars readings.

五行局「 Wu Xíng Jú 」 is based on the concept of the 花甲纳音「 Huā Jia Nà Yīn 」. Strange as
it may sound, 花甲纳音「 Huā Jia Nà Yīn 」 is a system derived from the 60-year cycle 六十花甲
「 Liù Shí Huā Jia 」 (which was covered in the earlier post) and *Musical notes 纳音「 Nà Yīn 」.

五行局 consists of :
水二局 - Water 2nd Phase
木三局 - Wood 3rd Phase
金四局 - Metal 4th Phase
土五局 - Earth 5th Phase
火六局 - Fire 6th Phase

Notice the numbers start from 2 and ends with 6. The reason behind this has to do
with 八卦「 Bā Guà 」 and 河图「 Hé Tú 」, but I will not attempt to explain it now
because if I have to explain it from scratch, this would be a very very long post.

Nevertheless, bear in mind that the numbers here are important and will play a part later on.

And as mentioned earlier, 纳音 was infused into 五行局 and this produced a 纳音局「 Nà Yīn Jú 」.

纳音局「 Nà Yīn Jú 」 is a systematic breakdown of each Element into
6 different categories within itself. For example, the Wood Element 木三局 consists of :

大林木 - Forest trees
扬柳木 - Willow trees
松柏木 - Cypress trees
平地木 - Timber trees
桑柘木 - Chinese Mulberry trees
石榴木 - Pomegranate trees

From the meanings of the trees, it is not hard to guess the traits represented by each type of
wood. So as not to confuse readers, I will explain the meanings of each category in later posts.

The 30 categories (Na Yin) are then alloted to the 60-year combos (Hua Jia),
and this is the arrangement:

Or, you can view the original script on Hua Jia Na Yin here.

* Some background information on Chinese Musicology.

Music in ancient China was played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed
stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. The scale has only five notes :

角「 jué 」 - the tone of Mi and represents Wood Element and Spring
征「 zhi 」 - the tone of So and represents Fire Element and Summer
宫「 gōng 」 - the tone of Do and represents Earth Element and change of season
商「 shāng 」 - the tone of Re and represents Metal Element and Autumn
羽「 yu 」 - the tone of La and represents Water Element and Winter

How the correlation between the 5 Elements and pentatonic scale came about is
profound and needs serious reading. However, according to surviving ancient texts,
all things correspond to the 5 Elements, hence correlations develop among all things.

For example, 司马迁 Sima Qian mentioned in his 史记 Shi Ji in Chapter: Music 《樂》,
“商「 shāng 」 stimulates the lungs and harmonizes with Justice; 角「 jué 」 stimulates the
liver and harmonizes with Kindness…”.

Heavenly Stem 天干 and Earthly Branch 地支

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The Stems and Branches 天干地支「Tiān Gān Dì Zhī 」, or in short, 干支
「Gān Zhī 」 , is the most significant counting system in the Chinese Calendar.
Its history goes back to even before the invention of Chinese characters.
Stem-Branch symbols were found on ancient Chinese Oracle Bones or 甲骨文.

10 Heavenly Stems 天干「Tiān Gān 」

Initially, the stems were created to count the DAY only.
For example, the 1st day is 甲, 2nd day is 乙 .....the 10th day is 癸, and the
11th day goes back to 甲 and so on. Every 10-day cycle is called a 旬「Xún 」.

Stems are still being used in Chinese community today. For example, in trading,
high-quality goods are considered 甲等货. In school, the
best class is always 甲班, the second best class is 乙班.

Then, the branches were used to count the MONTHS.

The Branches were representative of 12 selected animals,
which also resulted in the origin of the Chinese Horoscope.

12 Earthly Branches 地支「Dì Zhī 」

Later on, when ancient scholars applied the 12 Earthly Branches into
recording the YEAR and HOUR as well, it got way too confusing and
complicated due to the many repetitions of the same characters.

So, for the ease of differentiating one day from another, it was decided to pair
the stems and branches to form 60 different combinations for the counting
system. There are only 60 combinations, instead of the available 120, because
odd-numbered (Yang) stems can only be paired with odd-numbered branches,
and even-numbered (Yin) stems can only be paired with even-numbered branches.

60-Year Cycle 六十花甲子

To explain how this 'numbering' works, denote the stems and branches by their numbers.

So, the first year will be (1,1) which is (甲,子), followed by the second year (2,2) which
is (乙,丑) and then the third year (3,3) which is (丙,寅)... up to (10,10) which is (癸,酉).

But now we have run out of stems, so we start from the first stem again, and the eleventh
year will be (1, 11) which is (甲,戌), and the twelveth year (2, 12) which is (乙,亥).

Now we have run out of branches, too, so we start from the first branch again, and the
thirteenth year becomes (3, 1) or (丙,子), and the fourteenth year (4,2) or (丁,丑)
......... and so on and so forth.......

We continue in this way through 6 cycles of stems and 5 cycles of branches
up to the 60th year which is (10, 12) or (癸,亥). The next number, 61st year,
will then again be (1,1) or (甲,子), and this starts a new cycle.

The end-product is the 60-year cycle, also known as 六十花甲子「Liù Shí Huā Jia Zi 」.
六十 means 60, 甲子 refers to the first of the 60 Stem-Branch combos.

Taking the first year (甲子) as an example, since 甲 is Yang Wood, and 子 is Rat,
then that year would be a Yang Wood Rat year. The 13th Year, which is also
a Rat year, would be 丙子 - a Yang Fire Rat year.

In ancient China, from 汉 Han Dynasty onwards, the Emperors assummed reigned
titles which are changed every few years. The titles were usually placed before
the year name for distinction. For example, "康熙壬寅" 「Kāng Xī Rén Yín 」
would mean Emperor 康熙 reigned in the year of 壬寅, and that would be
1662 AD according to the Year Cycle. This dating lends legitimacy of the reign
of each Emperor and makes it difficult for Chinese historians to take sides
(politically) in cases of disputed succession or revolts.

This Gan Zhi naming of years is sometimes still used today, for example,
the Reform Movement of 1898 was called "戊戌變法 Wu Xu Bian Fa and
the Revolution of 1911 was called "辛亥革命 Xin Hai Ge Ming.

Going by historical records, the last "甲子 Jia Zi year was in 1984, and
the next one will be in year 2045. So, year 2005 is the 22nd year (乙酉年)
of the 78th Cycle, which is a Yin Wood Chicken Year.

阴阳五行

Through the years, people started to adopt stem of the year as the stems
of the months, and stem of the day as the stems of the hours. The Gān Zhī(s) of
year, month, day and hour together form the Eight Characters or 八字「Bā Zì 」
which determined one's date and time of birth.

In 《ZWDS 》, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system plays an important
part in the plotting of the Birth Chart, placement of stars, and in interpreting the chart.

As each Stem and Branch has its own Element and is either Yin or Yang, the 60-year
cycle system became the 'foundation' for many branches of Chinese Astrology. The
following chart summarises the relationship between the 10 Heavenly Stems, 12
Earthly Branches, Yin and Yang, the 5 Elements as well as the environment.

Basics - The 5 Elements 五行

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Ancient Chinese believed that our universe consisted of 5 basic Elements. These 5
Elements, called 五行「Wu Xíng 」, represent the processes that are fundamental to the
cycles of nature. The chinese term 行 means the change and development of one thing
acting upon another. The 5 Elements are abstractly represented in nature in various forms :-

Metal 金「Jīn 」 - stands for mineral, iron, jewellery; anything hard.

Water 水「Shui 」 - stands for anything in liquid form or anything cold.

Wood 木「Mù 」 - stands for tree, plant; anything to do with wood.

Fire 火「Huo 」 - stands for fire, sun, heat, light; anything hot.

Earth 土「Tu 」 - stands for soil, ashes, dust, ground or land.

The concept of the 5 Elements or Phases describes both a Generating Cycle
and an Overcoming Cycle of interactions between the phases.

Generating Cycle 相生「Xiāng Shēng 」 - describes the interaction of the
Five Elements where one Element generates or produces the next one.

Water generates Wood - We water plants (Wood) to make them grow.
Wood generates Fire - Wood burns easily and gives rise to Fire.
Fire generates Earth - When things are burnt, what is left are ashes (Earth).
Earth generates Metal - Earth helps minerals (Metal) to form.
Metal generates Water - Metal can hold Water. Heated metal produces liquid.

The problem is, the Elements would keep on growing indefinitely. Some mechanism in needed
to control such unchecked growth. The next cycle, the Overcoming Cycle, provides just such
a control. These two cycles provide a balance necessary for normal growth and development.

Overcoming Cycle 相克「Xiāng Kè 」 - expresses the relationship where
one Element exerts control, suppresses or inhibits another Element.

Water overcomes Fire - Water extinguishes Fire.
Fire overcomes Metal - Fire melts Metal.
Metal overcomes Wood - Axe cuts Wood.
Wood overcomes Earth - Plants extracts nutrients from the
ground and breaks the ground after taking root.
Earth overcomes Water - Earth can absorb Water or stop the flow of Water.

Thus, an example of Yin-Yang Balance is this :

Wood overcomes Earth --> Earth generates Metal --> Metal overcomes Wood
木克土﹝相克 Overcome﹞----> 土生金﹝相生 Generate﹞----> 金克木﹝反克 Subdue﹞

Which means, all 3 elements, Wood, Earth and Metal are able to exist in harmony.

The 5 Elements have their own Yin and Yang aspects. The changes and
development of the 5 Elements are slow and stable when in balance, and
unstable and unpredictable when the balance is disturbed.

Yin-Yang Imbalance - When the acted-upon Element is too strong (excess Yang),
or the acting Element too weak (excess Yin), the 'natural' order is temporarily reversed.

Water can extinguish Fire, but Fire can evaporate Water.
Earth can absorb Water, but Water can cover the land.
Wood can break the ground, but Earth can bury Wood.
Metal can cut Wood, but Metal can become blunt before breaking Wood.
Fire can melt Metal, but Fire can be extinguished before it melts Metal.

Five Elements in 《Zi Wei Dou Shu》

Above-written are only the basics of the Five Elements. However, it is not thorough enough
to be applied to Zi Wei Dou Shu. Five Elements concepts are used extensively in interpreting
of ZWDS charts. From stars to palaces, the Elements have to be taken into account. In fact,
almost all branches of Chinese fortune-telling are based on Yin/Yang and Five Elements
concepts, so without fully comprehending these concepts, it is difficult to understand
what Zi Wei Dou Shu is about, let alone see the wisdom and miracle of ancient Chinese.

I will cover the Five Elements more in-depth when we reach Interpreting of Charts.

Basics - Yin 阴 and Yang 阳

2005-08-06T04:54:00.000+08:00

To have a better understanding of 《紫微斗数》, one needs
to have minimal knowledge of its fundamentals and basics.

The theory of Yin and Yang was found in a Chinese Classic called Zhou Yi 《周易》.
易 is made up of a 日 (sun) above the character 月 (moon).

The ancients used Yin and Yang to generalize the two extremes of the same process or
quality, which may be observed in natural phenomena. The Yin-Yang symbol, or called
太极图「Tài Jí Tú 」, with black representing Yin and white representing Yang, is a symbol
that reflects the intertwined duality of all things in nature, a common theme in Taoism.

However, nothing is absolute and independent of its opposite, nor so pure that
it does not contain its opposite in a diminished form, which is why there is
a white dot (Yang) within Yin and a black dot (Yin) within Yang.

In ancient Chinese, Yin means 'shady' or the back of the sun and Yang means 'sunny' and
refers to the front. Generally speaking, terms like darkness, internal, decline, weakness,
coldness, quietness, feminity etc. are categorised as Yin, whereas terms such as brightness,
external, mobility, warmth, activity, masculinity etc. are categorised as Yang.

Principles of Yin and Yang

To summarise the principles of Yin and Yang,

1. Interdependence - Both Yin and Yang presuppose the existence of its opposed
aspect. If any aspect separates from the other opposed aspect, it can not exist
alone. For eg. wealth and poverty, night and day, health and sickness etc.

2. Growth and decline - Both Yin and Yang are not in the state of standstill
and while they are in movement, there is a change of mutual growth and decline,
for eg. sunset is "decline of Yang and growth of Yin" and winter to spring is "decline
of Yin and growth of Yang".

3. Coordination - In normal state, Yin and Yang are usually held in balance.
As one increases, the other decreases. However, if growth and decline of
Yin and Yang are not coordinative, imbalances can occur. There are four
possible imbalances: Excess Yin, excess Yang, Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency.

4. Transformation - Under certain conditions, and at particular stages,
Yin can transform into Yang and vice versa. For eg. cold water (Yin) can
be boiled and eventually turn into steam (Yang).

5. Subdivision - Yin and Yang can be subdivided into Yin and Yang.
That is to say, there are Yin and Yang within Yin, and there are
Yin and Yang within Yang. For eg. noon at its hottest is strong Yang
or 大阳 whereas sunset which is cooler, is weak Yang or 少阳.

6. Presence in absence - Nothing is solely Yin and nothing is absolutely
Yang. Even though an opposite may not be seen to be present, since one
principle produces the other, no phenomenon is completely devoid of its
opposite state. For eg. Fire (Yang) may be bright, but the heart of the
Fire is dark (Yin), a tree (Yang) may look lustre with abundance of leaves
and flowers, but it is hollow and damp (Yin) inside.

Yin and Yang both oppose and complement each other.
It is through this opposition that each has the ability to control each other
and maintain a relative balance. Yin and Yang are EQUALLY important,
unlike the typical dualism of good and evil.

Zi Wei Dou Shu 《紫微斗数》 - What is it?

2005-08-03T17:51:00.000+08:00

《紫微斗数》 is a form of fortune-reading that is widely used in ancient China.
紫微「Zi Wēi 」 - literally translated as Purple Star - is the 'Emperor Star' of the chart.
It is known as the North Star in the West.斗数「Dou Shù 」 means calculation.

《紫微斗数》 thus means the study of a person's life based on the movement and location
of the 紫微 Star and 100+ other stars at the specific time the person was born.

Based on one's Year, Month, Date and Time of birth - also known as 八字「Bā Zì 」,
calculations are worked out to chart the stars into 12 different palaces or 宫「Gōng 」.
This would then be one's Birth Chart or 命盘「Mìng Pán 」.

By integrating the stars and palaces, their attributes, environmental factors, elemental
forces, Yin and Yang concept and all the possible combinations and variations, not only can
personalities be understood, but personal and professional relationships can be predicted,
and what to expect of any given year and duration of specific events can be forecasted as well.

An example of a Birth Chart looks like this -

The plotting of one's birth chart is not difficult. What is difficult in 《紫微斗数》 is
the complex system of interpretation that allows us to 'see' the blueprint of our lives. If
interpreted correctly, our birth charts can describe our past, present and future accurately.

History of 《紫微斗数》

《紫微斗数》 was devised by a Taoist named 呂純陽 and later on
developed by 陳希夷 during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and later
on 羅洪先 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) to what it is today.
However, its origin is still debated among the different schools.

Chinese Astrology was closely intertwined with Astronomy and gifted Astronomer-Astrologers
were recruited as officials to work in the Imperial Court. In those days, astrological charts
were delineated for the Emperor as his personal fate has a direct bearing on that of his Kingdom.
The court astrologers played an important role in determining the successor to the throne too.

Astrologers observed the stars and noticed that among so many stars, only one
was seemingly stationary while the rest revolved around it. As it was also the brightest,
the star was named the 'Emperor Star' - the celestial equivalent of the Emperor.

As with all other forms of fortune-telling, the Chinese do not generally see astrology
as an infallible guide to what will happen, but more as a form of weather
forecasting - knowledge about the factors that might influence events so as to be
more able to gauge the situation and make decisions from a position of strength.

《ZWDS》 approaches the world and events from the idea that, to view
things in their proper context, it is important to recognise the dynamism
of the universe, and that the pattern of change is the fundamental truth.

Fate (命) and Luck (运)

2005-08-01T15:11:00.000+08:00

In general, Chinese and Westerners have different ways of viewing LIFE.

It is commonly believed in the West that life is not pre-determined - nothing is sealed
at birth. It is believed that a child will become what we make of him, or what he makes of
himself. It is believed that the factors in development are heredity, education, environment,
diligence, etc. and that even the poorest child can become a President. In short, one
believes that he/she is the master of his/her destiny. Nobody likes the thought that there is
an invisible power up there controlling his/her life. Therefore, discerning fate, or fortune-
reading is not seriously regarded in the West, and sometimes labelled as superstitions.

But, have you ever came across capable friends who cannot make it in life for the lack of
opportunities? Or incompetent scums who seem to have all the luck and right opportunities
and connections and are able to move up the social ladder with no efforts of their own?

Generally, Chinese believe that FATE or 命「Mìng 」is real. Everyone of us is born
with different gifts and limitations. And by knowing and understanding our limitations,
we will be able to embark on the path that will lead to success instead of obstacles.

In 命术「Mìng Shù 」, one's Fate is determined at birth - this is called 先天
「Xiān Tiān 」. 先天 is impossible to be changed, or difficult to be modified.
This is what one started out with. A person's birth chart is akin to a manual for a
new cellphone which gives you the specifications of the phone, the model, operating
instructions etc. These default specifications are designed by the manufacturer. Our
birthdate and time, our parents, our siblings etc. are examples of such defaults.

What can be changed - but within limits - are our other aspects in life which
are affected by Luck or 运「Yùn 」. What we have control over,
and achievable with our efforts, is generally called 后天「Hòu Tiān 」.

The western definition of 'luck' is not different from 'chance'. Luck or chance
is random and is about statistics and probability. Since luck is random, it is unpredictable.

The Chinese's concept of luck is similar to the orbit of planets - cyclical and predictable.
An orbit is not a random movement and passes through space and time in a specific pattern.
That makes it knowable.

And if we know the status of our luck, we can base our actions on how strong
or weak it is at that time. Besides understanding our own strong points and
weaknesses, we also need to realize our potential and limitations underneath
our facades. Only then will we be able to move in the right direction effectively.

5 Major Arts in Chinese Culture

Over the thousands of years, ancient Chinese has devised, discovered and
documented 5 major arts and philosophies, namely, 山、医、命、相、卜.

山术「Shān Shù 」- Cultivation of one's area of interest while living in seclusion. The
'areas of interest' include religious cultivation (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism etc.),
health cultivation (Qigong, Martial Arts etc.), spiritual cultivation, and refining pills for
medicinal purposes and immortality etc.

医术「Yī Shù 」- Traditional Chinese Medicine such as Acupuncture, herbal remedies etc.

命术「Mìng Shù 」- Analysing the character traits and potential using one's year, date
and time of birth in order to help one cope better with expected events and its timeline.
This is what Fortune-Telling is about and an art that anyone with interest can master.

相术「Xiàng Shù 」- Observing the environment, objects, appearance etc, and
deduce events with the knowledge of Yin/Yang, 5 Elements and Gan Zhi.
Examples of this art are 风水 (Feng Shui) and 手相 (Palmistry).

卜术「Bu Shù 」- Divination of events through omens, signs, oracles etc. It is
based on the belief that revelations are offered to humans by the gods or celestial
beings, to make known things that neither reason nor science can discover.
Examples include 梅花易数 (I-Ching) and 金钱卦 (divination using copper coins).

What I will be sharing with you is 命术「Mìng Shù 」- the art of foretelling one's life events.

In addition, Chinese believe that success in life is based on these five areas
of influence, in order of importance:

1. 「Mìng 」命 - fate, which is decided at birth and cannot be changed,
but can be known.

2. 「Yùn 」运 - luck, which fluctuates with time,but predictable.

3. 「Fēng Shui 」风水 - environment, which can be manipulated to reach the
higher levels of what our fate and luck allow.

4. 「Dào Dé 」道德 - virtue and character, which brings us good
karma and good will.

5. 「Dú Shū 」读书 - education and effort, the footwork. Even with the best luck,
if we sit at home and wait, we will miss out.

《紫微斗数》「Zi Wēi Dou Shù 」 will give you an insight into your 命 Fate and 运 Luck.