Free Zi Wei Dou Shu Chart
Cast a Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology) chart on the classic twelve-palace board: main stars with their brightness, supporting and challenging stars, the Chang Sheng cycle, and the decade and annual periods. Your data is not stored.
How to read a Zi Wei Dou Shu chart
Zi Wei Dou Shu, or Purple Star Astrology, arranges stars into twelve palaces fixed to the twelve earthly branches. The board above follows the traditional paper layout: the Snake (Si) palace sits top left and the branches run clockwise around a central panel that summarises the chart. Each palace is named for an area of life, starting from the Life palace: Siblings, Spouse, Children, Wealth, Health, Travel, Friends, Career, Property, Wellbeing and Parents.
Fourteen main stars, led by Zi Wei (the Purple Star, the emperor), carry most of the weight. Their brightness depends on the palace they land in, shown here as + or −. Around them sit dozens of minor stars: helpers such as Zuo Fu, You Bi, Wen Chang and Wen Qu, the four transformations (Hua Lu, Hua Quan, Hua Ke, Hua Ji), and challenging stars such as Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Di Kong and Di Jie.
The centre shows the Na Yin element of the birth year and the bureau (Water 2 to Fire 6), which sets where the decades start. Each palace holds one 10-year decade; the annual period moves one palace each year. Choose a year above to see which palaces carry that year's decade, annual period and Tai Sui, along with the annual and decade stars.
Why the birth hour matters
The Life palace is found from the lunar birth month and the two-hour block of birth, so a different hour moves every palace. If you only know a range, pick the middle of it and compare. Lunar dates are converted for you, and the time zone you choose fixes the correct lunar day for births abroad.
This free page shows the full star layout but not readings of star combinations; those need the whole chart in context. Like BaZi, Zi Wei is a traditional cultural system, best read as reflection rather than as a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
What is Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology) places more than a hundred stars into twelve palaces, each tied to an area of life such as career, wealth or relationships. It is read alongside BaZi rather than instead of it.
Why does the chart need my birth hour?
The hour fixes the Life palace and therefore the position of every other palace. Without a reliable hour the chart is only a rough guide.
What do the decade and annual palaces mean?
Each palace carries a 10-year decade period; the number in the corner is its starting age. The annual (minor) period moves one palace per year. Pick a year to highlight both.
Pair your Zi Wei chart with your BaZi chart and reports in BaZi Atlas.
More free tools: