Charting Methods

Tip

Zi Wei Dou Shu charting is complex; beginners are advised to use professional charting software. This page introduces the basic principles and steps to understand the structure of a birth chart.

Information Required for Charting

1. Birth Year: Lunar year
2. Birth Month: Lunar month
3. Birth Day: Lunar date
4. Birth Hour: Specific hour (Zi, Chou, Yin...)
5. Gender: Male or Female

Important:

You must use the lunar calendar date. If you only know the Gregorian calendar date, you need to convert it to lunar first.

Chart Plotting Steps

Step 1: Determine the Life Palace

1. Determine the Earthly Branch of the Life Palace

Formula: Starting from the sub-position (Yin position), count forward to the birth month, then count backward to the birth hour.

Method:

1. Starting from the Yin palace, count clockwise to the birth month (the first month is Yin, the second month is Mao...)
2. From that position, count counter-clockwise to the birth hour
3. The last stopping position is the "Ming Gong" (Life Palace).

Example: Born in March at the hour of Mao.

• Counting from Yin: Yin (1st month) → Mao (2nd month) → Chen (3rd month)
• Counting backward from Chen: Chen → Mao (Mao hour)
• Life Palace in Mao

2. Determine the Life Palace Number

Five Elements Bureau Number: Determined by the earthly branch of the Life Palace and the Na Yin Five Elements

After determining the Life Palace, consult the table to find the Five Elements Bureau Number (Water Two Bureau, Wood Three Bureau, Metal Four Bureau, Earth Five Bureau, Fire Six Bureau).

Step 2: Determine the Body Palace

Formula: Starting from the Zi position, count clockwise to the birth month, then count clockwise to the birth hour.

The Body Palace must be in one of the six palaces: Life, Spouse, Wealth, Travel, Career, or Fortune.

Step 3: Arrange the Twelve Palaces

Starting from the Life Palace, arrange the twelve palaces counter-clockwise:

→ 迁移 → 疾厄 → 财帛 → 子女 → 夫妻 → 兄弟 → 命宫
命宫 → 父母 → 福德 → 田宅 → 事业 → 交友

Step 4: Determine the Zi Wei Star

Determine the Zi Wei Star's palace position

Steps:

1. Find the Five Elements Bureau Number based on the birth date
2. Determine the palace where the Ziwei star is located by looking up the table based on the Five Elements Bureau Number and the birth date

Five Elements Bureau Number and Ziwei Starting Example:

• Water Two Bureau: Advances 1 palace every 2 days
• Wood Three Cycle: Enters 1 palace every 3 days
• Metal Four Cycle: Enters 1 palace every 4 days
• Earth Five Cycle: Enters 1 palace every 5 days
• Fire Six Cycle: Enters 1 palace every 6 days

Step 5: Arrange the Fourteen Main Stars

Zi Wei Star System (clockwise arrangement)

Starting from the Zi Wei star, arrange clockwise:

1. Zi Wei Star (already positioned)
2. Tian Ji Star: One position clockwise from Zi Wei
3. Tai Yang Star: Two positions clockwise from Zi Wei
4. Wu Qu Star: Three positions clockwise from Zi Wei
5. Tian Tong Star: Four positions clockwise from Zi Wei
6. Lian Zhen Star: Fifth star in the Zi Wei sequence

Tian Fu Star System (arranged counter-clockwise)

First, determine the position of the Tian Fu Star (which has a certain relationship with Zi Wei), then arrange counter-clockwise:

1. Tian Fu Star: Determined by the position of Zi Wei
2. Tai Yin Star: One position counter-clockwise from Tian Fu
3. Tan Lang Star: Two positions counter-clockwise from Tian Fu
4. Ju Men Star: Three positions counter-clockwise from Tian Fu
5. Tian Xiang Star: Four positions counter-clockwise from Tian Fu
6. Tian Liang Star: Five positions counter-clockwise from Tian Fu
7. Qi Sha Star: Six positions counter-clockwise from Tian Fu
8. Po Jun Star: Seven positions counter-clockwise from Tian Fu

Step 6: Place the auspicious stars

Wenchang and Wenqu

Wenchang: Determined by the birth hour

• If born during the hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM), it is in the Xu palace; if born during the hour of Chou (1 AM - 3 AM), it is in the You palace, arranged counter-clockwise.

Wenqu: Determined by the birth hour

• The hour of Zi is in Chen Palace, the hour of Chou is in Si Palace, arranged clockwise.

Zuo Fu and You Bi

Zuo Fu: Based on the birth month

• The first month is in Chen Palace, arranged clockwise

Youbi (Right Assistant): Based on the birth month

• The first month is in the Xu Palace, arranged counter-clockwise

Tiankui and Tianyue

Based on the birth year's Heavenly Stem:

• Jia Year: Tiankui in Chou, Tianyue in Wei
• Yi Year: Tiankui in Zi, Tianyue in Shen
• (And so on)

Step 7: Install the Sha Star

Qing Yang Tuo Luo

Qing Yang: Determined by the birth year's earthly branch

• If born in the Zi year, it's in Chou; if born in the Chou year, it's in Yin, arranged clockwise.

Tuo Luo: Opposite palace of Qing Yang (clashing position)

Mars and Bell Star

Mars: Determined by consulting a table based on the birth year's earthly branch and hour.

Bell Star: Determined by consulting a table based on the birth year's earthly branch and hour.

Di Kong and Di Jie

Di Kong (Void): Determined by the birth year's earthly branch

• If the birth year is Zi, it's in Hai palace; if Chou, it's in Xu palace, arranged counter-clockwise.

Di Jie (Calamity): One position clockwise from Di Kong

Step 8: Place other auxiliary stars

• Lu Cun: Based on the Heavenly Stem of the year
• Tian Ma: Based on the Earthly Branch of the year
• Hong Luan: Based on the Earthly Branch of the year
• Tian Xi: Opposite palace to Hong Luan
• Other Minor Stars: Each has its own starting method

Step 9: Determine the Major Limit

Major Limit Starting Method

Yang Male, Yin Female: Proceed in順行 (forward direction) Yin Male, Yang Female: Reverse Order

Starting Age

Based on the Five Elements Bureau of the Life Palace:

• Water Two Bureau: Starting from age 2
• Wood 3rd Cycle: From age 3
• Metal 4th Cycle: From age 4
• Earth 5th Cycle: From age 5
• Fire 6th Cycle: From age 6

Each major limit governs 10 years.

Step 10: Arrange the Four Transformations

Based on the Heavenly Stem of the birth year, arrange the Four Transformation Stars:

Example: Person born in a Jia year

• Lian Zhen Hua Lu
• Po Jun Hua Quan
• Wu Qu Hua Ke
• Tai Yang Hua Ji

Recommended Charting Tools

Online Tools

San Yuan

Zi Wei Pai

Notes

Important Note

1. Accurate Time is Crucial: A difference of one *shichen* (two-hour period) completely changes the astrological chart.
2. Use the Lunar Calendar: Must convert to lunar calendar dates.
3. Midnight (Zi Shi) Division:
   • Early Zi Shi (23:00-24:00): Counts as the current day
   • Late Zi Shi (00:00-01:00): Counts as the next day
4. Leap Month Handling: Leap months are calculated as the current month
5. Time Zone Issue: Corrected according to true solar time

Tips

Charting is fundamental, but not the goal. The key is to learn how to interpret and analyze charts. It is recommended to focus your energy on understanding the meanings of the stars and analyzing the patterns.