What a pattern name is

A pattern is a name the older books gave a group of stars, so you can find that page again. The name adds no new star and does not grade the chart.

Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method

The name is an index; the stars are the fact

Meet a pattern name and ask which stars it requires, and whether they sit in the palaces it names. If they do, the label can be used. If one star is missing, do not attach the name. After the label, go back to those palaces and stars. Do not stop on the lucky phrase attached to the name.

The same name can be praised and blamed

Received texts call the same pattern greatly fortunate or greatly avoided. This site does not pick one sentence as the verdict. What you learn is which stars the name points at, and which domain those stars occupy. Leave the adjectives in the book. They are not a judgment of a person.

Write the stars even when a name exists

Illustration: suppose a book names “Zi Wei and Tian Fu split between Life and Wealth” as a pattern. If the chart really shows that, write Life holds Zi Wei, Wealth holds Tian Fu, and name the palaces between them. Only then say some books call this group by that name. If Wealth is not Tian Fu, the name does not apply. The name is not an exam grade, and it is not a promise of income or office.

Common mistakes

  • Replacing the stars in the palace with a pattern name.
  • Treating a pattern as an exam grade or a rank of fate.
  • Using a flattering pattern name when the required stars are not all there.

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

Is a chart worse when it has no pattern name?

No. Most charts are simply palaces and stars. A name is only for lookup.

Is a pattern the same as san fang si zheng?

No. San fang si zheng is a geometric relation among palaces. A pattern is a textual name for a group of stars, usually with extra requirements about where they sit.

Can a pattern name choose an occupation?

No. The name adds no calculation, and it is not career or financial advice.

Sources and editorial basis

  1. 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. 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. 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.