Zi Wei Dou Shu · 紫微斗数
Zi Wei Dou Shu chart calculator (Purple Star Astrology)
Build your Zi Wei Dou Shu (Ziwei) chart free: twelve palaces, fourteen major stars, the Four Transformations and your ten-year periods, each palace explained in plain language.
What is Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数), often shortened to Ziwei and known in English as Purple Star Astrology, is one of the two great systems of Chinese fate calculation, alongside BaZi. Tradition credits it to the Daoist sage Chen Tuan (陈抟, also called Chen Xiyi) in the early Song dynasty.
It is named after Zi Wei (紫微), the “Purple Star”, identified with the Pole Star, the emperor of the night sky. From your lunar birth date and two-hour birth period, the chart places more than a hundred stars into twelve palaces, each palace standing for one area of life.
The twelve palaces
Every Zi Wei chart has the same twelve palaces (十二宫), arranged around a square:
- Life (命宫)
- Siblings (兄弟)
- Spouse (夫妻)
- Children (子女)
- Wealth (财帛)
- Health (疾厄)
- Travel (迁移)
- Friends (交友)
- Career (官禄)
- Property (田宅)
- Fortune and mind (福德)
- Parents (父母)
The Life palace describes your core character; the Body palace (身宫) shows what grows in importance with age. The other palaces are read in relation to the Life palace and to the palaces opposite them.
The 14 major stars and the Four Transformations
The fourteen major stars carry most of the meaning: Zi Wei (紫微), Tian Ji (天机), Tai Yang (太阳), Wu Qu (武曲), Tian Tong (天同), Lian Zhen (廉贞), Tian Fu (天府), Tai Yin (太阴), Tan Lang (贪狼), Ju Men (巨门), Tian Xiang (天相), Tian Liang (天梁), Qi Sha (七杀) and Po Jun (破军). Minor stars add detail and tone.
Your birth-year stem then sets the Four Transformations (四化): Lu (禄, abundance), Quan (权, authority), Ke (科, recognition) and Ji (忌, obstacles). Where they land shows which areas of life flow easily and which ask for care. The chart also gives your Five-Element Bureau (五行局) and the decade periods (大限) that move through the palaces over your life.
How this Zi Wei Dou Shu calculator works
Zi Wei Dou Shu uses the Chinese lunar calendar, so the calculator first converts your birth date using astronomical new moons, then places the stars by the standard rules. It shows the overview first, then all twelve palaces with the stars in each and what they suggest, plus gentle wellbeing notes. You need your birth time to within its two-hour period (时辰) for an accurate chart.
Zi Wei Dou Shu or BaZi?
BaZi is strong on the balance of elements and on timing; Zi Wei Dou Shu is detailed about the separate areas of life, such as career, relationships and family. Reading both side by side gives a fuller picture, which is why Mingli Atlas shows them together in the full report. Like BaZi, Zi Wei is a cultural tradition for reflection, not a scientific prediction.
Further reading
- The 12 palaces of Zi Wei Dou Shu explainedWhat each of the 12 Zi Wei Dou Shu palaces means, from Life to Parents, how opposite palaces work together, and where the Body palace fits.
- The 14 major stars of Zi Wei Dou ShuA plain-English guide to the 14 major stars of Zi Wei Dou Shu: Zi Wei, Tian Ji, Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Tong, Lian Zhen, Tian Fu, Tai Yin, Tan Lang and more.
Common questions
Is Ziwei the same as Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Yes. “Ziwei”, “Zi Wei” and “Tzu Wei” are different spellings of 紫微, short for 紫微斗数, also called Purple Star Astrology.
Why does Zi Wei Dou Shu need my birth hour?
The Life palace is set from the lunar month and the two-hour period of birth. A different hour moves the Life palace, and every other palace with it.
What does an empty palace mean?
A palace with no major star is traditionally read by borrowing the major stars of the opposite palace. It is not a bad sign in itself.
Is the Zi Wei chart free?
Yes, during the beta. It runs in your browser with no account, and you can save it with your BaZi chart as one PDF.