A Complete Guide to the Ziwei Doushu Palaces: Comparing Indian Astrology and Qizheng Siyu

After charting, the next step is what each of the twelve palaces governs. If you have read the Charting overview, Fourteen main stars, and Basics of sihua, this article adds the palace framework, Body Palace, cross-tradition comparison, and how to read palaces together in practice.

Twelve palace meanings

Palaces are set from birth data; each is a life domain; stars show tendency in that area.

Life Palace: character, appearance, talent, overall direction—the usual starting point.

Siblings Palace: siblings, peers, sometimes business partners and how you relate to equals.

Spouse Palace: partner traits, marriage timing, relationship stability.

Children Palace: children, juniors, interests; sometimes linked to certain romance topics.

Wealth Palace: earned income, money attitude, income pattern—not only “rich or poor.”

Health Palace: health, accidents, mental pressure; hints on constitution or sensitive periods.

Travel Palace: travel, relocation, environment change, opportunity away from home base.

Friends Palace (Servants Palace): friends, subordinates, colleagues, social circle.

Career Palace: work, position, suitable industry type.

Property Palace: real estate, home environment, family assets, savings.

Fortune Palace: inner satisfaction, blessing, later-life mindset.

Parents Palace: parents, elders, bosses, early upbringing.

Body Palace

The Body Palace is not a thirteenth palace; it overlays one of Life, Spouse, Wealth, Travel, Career, or Fortune (by birth hour).

Life Palace is more innate; Body Palace more acquired behavior and where effort goes—often stronger after about thirty.

• Life and Body same palace: innate and lived path align.
• Body in Wealth: mid-life focus on resources and money.
• Body in Career: career load rises with age.

Comparison with Indian astrology (Jyotish)

Both use twelve sectors with broad overlap (e.g. 7th house and Spouse, 10th and Career). Jyotish uses real bodies and ascendant, emphasizing karma and spiritual lessons; Ziwei uses virtual stars, sihua, and palace-stem flight for structured life-domain description.

Difference from Qizheng Siyu

Qizheng Siyu, an ancestor of Ziwei, also has twelve houses but closer to Western-style house lords. Ziwei drops fixed house lords for fourteen main stars, six auspicious and six malefic stars, and sihua interaction; empty palaces borrow opposite and sanfang palaces—more flexible.

Practical reading points

Do not read a single palace in isolation:

1. Sanfang sizheng: Life, Wealth, Career, Travel together.
2. Flying sihua: energy links between palaces.
3. Empty palace: use opposite and triangle stars.

Next: Reading timing: natal, major luck, annual, monthly. Charting: Ming Ming 3 Ziwei section.