Zi Wei Dou Shu: map of this section
This section unfolds Zi Wei Dou Shu in learning order: definition and inputs, then palaces and stars, and only then transformations, patterns, and timing. It is a map, not a chart result.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method
Explore concepts
Basics
Basics of the chart
Settle what Zi Wei Dou Shu is and which inputs a chart needs. If the hour is missing, stop here. Do not continue into a personal palace.
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Twelve palaces
The twelve palaces
The twelve palaces are the chart’s map of domains. Learn the names, then learn that those names travel around a fixed branch ring after the Life Palace is placed.
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Fourteen major stars
The fourteen major stars
A major star is a condition that occupies a palace. It is not a complete person. fateshow’s report dictionary describes tendencies and cautions in that same spirit.
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How to read
How a bounded reading is made
A reading starts from the question and the palace, not from the brightest star on the page. If the order slips, the star becomes a conclusion that was written first.
View definition →
What this section is for
The sidebar is long. This page says why the order cannot be reversed: without a Life Palace a star has nowhere to land, and without palaces and stars a transformation has no subject.
The label opens the page. The arrow only expands or collapses that branch. The branch you are in stays open. The others start closed.
What to read first
Read the definition and the chart inputs in Basics, then the twelve palaces and the fourteen major stars. Palace geometry, si hua, and the reading method come after those two vocabularies.
History, schools, and the safety page can be read alongside. They explain why rules fork, and where a sentence has to stop.
When you have to leave for a chart
Stay in the wiki while you are learning palace names and star names. The moment a sentence says “your Life Palace” or “your star”, recompute it in the chart tool with complete birth data.
If the hour is unknown, stay on the definition. This section will not guess a palace.
What this section does not say
The overview is not a chart result.
Do not jump from the map to a lucky-unlucky verdict.
Do not treat the sidebar order as the order of luck periods.
Common mistakes
- Starting from si hua or patterns and skipping palaces and stars.
- Treating the overview as a personal chart already cast.
- Assigning palaces while the hour is still incomplete.
Use it in fateshow
Zi Wei chart
Cast a Zi Wei chart and read the palaces, stars, and transformations it prints.
Open tool →Frequently asked questions
Must I read the sidebar from top to bottom?
Do not reverse definition, inputs, the twelve palaces, and the fourteen stars. Later sections can be opened for a question, but only after you know what a palace and a star are.
Can the overview replace a chart?
No. It only arranges the learning order. A personal placement is in the chart tool.
Why is synastry last in this section?
Synastry compares two charts that have already been cast. Until the single-chart palaces and stars exist, there is nothing to compare.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. iztro Zi Wei Dou Shu engine
Supports only what the current fateshow configuration actually calculates: palace placement, major-star arrangements, and the recorded year-boundary, leap-month, and transformation settings. It does not prove that any traditional school is uniquely correct.
- 2. Ziwei Doushu Quanshu (received editions)
Used to cross-check palace names, star lists, and traditional wording. A received text can record a tradition; it cannot prove scientific validity or guarantee an event.
- 3. fateshow chart rule snapshot
Each generated report stores the engine settings that produced it. Compare those settings before treating two charts as the same calculation.