Zi wei dou shu
Encyclopedia
Zi Wei Dou Shu is a form of fortune-telling
Fortune-telling
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination...

 in Chinese culture. It remains one of the most well-respected processes for laying out "The Destiny
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...

 Path" or "Fate".

Terminology

  • Zi Wei (紫微) - literally "purple micro"; it is the most auspicious star in the chart.
  • Dou (斗) means "to put together".
  • Shu (数) means "to calculate".


Zi Wei Dou Shu thus means the study of a person's life based on the movement and location of the Zi Wei Star and 100+ other stars at the specific time the person was born.

Additional Terminology

The procedure is sometimes loosely called (Chinese: 批命, pi ming) as a street term. Literally meaning to analyze one's life like how a document is approved.

Practice

The requester, or the person seeking the fortune telling advice, presents the Four Pillars of Destiny
Four Pillars of Destiny
Four Pillars of Destiny is a Chinese and Japanese conceptual term that describes the four components creating a person's destiny or fate. The four components within the moment of birth are year, month, day, and hour...

 (時辰八字) to the fortune interpreter. This information covers a person's moment of birth: year, month, day, and time. Without this crucial information, the analysis cannot take place. Chinese name or strokes in the characters that make up one's name is also requested at times for further refinement in the analysis at times.

Using Chinese astrology
Chinese astrology
Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. The development of Chinese astrology is tied to that of astronomy, which came to flourish during the Han Dynasty ....

 in combination with Chinese constellation
Chinese constellation
Chinese constellations are the way the ancient Chinese grouped the stars. They are very different from the modern IAU recognized constellations. This is because the IAU was based on Greco-Roman astronomy instead of Chinese astronomy....

, calculations are worked out to chart the stars into 12 different palaces or Gong (宫). This would then be one's Natal Birth Chart or Mìng Pán (命盘).

By integrating the stars and palaces, their attributes, environmental factors, the Five elements
Five elements (Chinese philosophy)
The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....

, Yin and Yang
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...

 concept and all the possible combinations and variations, including the position of the symbolic stars
Symbolic stars
In Chinese astrology, the symbolic stars represent different relations of the specific positions and interactions of the heavenly stems and earthly branches....

 and their interrelations, not only can personalities be understood, but personal and professional relationships can be predicted. The end result is a calculated translation of one's destiny in detail including events that have already happened in the past for verification purposes.

The plotting of one's birth chart is not difficult. What is difficult in Zi Wei Dou Shu is the complex system of interpretation that allows us to 'see' the blueprint of our lives.

History

The Zi Wei Dou Shu concept was devised by a Taoist named Lu Chun Yang (呂純陽). It was then developed by Chen Xi Yi (陳希夷) during the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 and later on Luo Hong Xian 羅洪先 during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 to the present day format. Its exact origin, however, is still debated among the different schools, and should not be taken as a guaranteed historical context.

Chinese Astrology
Chinese astrology
Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. The development of Chinese astrology is tied to that of astronomy, which came to flourish during the Han Dynasty ....

 has always been closely intertwined with Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

. Gifted astronomer/astrologers were recruited as officials to work in Imperial Courts during the dynastic eras
Dynasties in Chinese history
The following is a chronology of the dynasties in Chinese history.Chinese history is not as neat as is often described and it was rare for one dynasty to change peacefully into the next. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they...

. In those days, astrological charts were delineated for the Emperor
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...

 as his personal fate has a direct bearing on that of his kingdom. The court astrologers played an important role in determining the successor to the throne also.

Astrologers observed the stars and noticed that among so many stars, only one was seemingly stationary while the rest revolved around it. As it was also the brightest, the star was named the "Emperor Star" - the celestial equivalent of the Emperor.

Interpretation

The most basic interpretations should be able cover the following. These are just examples.
  • Position of birth within family. Such as whether one is the oldest, middle child, youngest child.
  • Shifts in luck.
  • At which age will there be a shift in "phase" in your life.
  • Era of fortune.
  • Romance and relationships.


The more advanced interpretations may reveal the following. These are just some examples.
  • Class in society. For example, an individual born a peasant, does not mean that he/she will die as one. Vice versa, a king may not live like one.
  • Possible time of death, and means.
  • Information about one's soulmate.
  • Personality matching of compatibility and incompatibility.
  • What climate or region is most beneficial.
  • Is your mindset of eastern or western origin. Such as will you actually find it easier learning Chinese than English.
  • Information regarding your parents.

Chinese Society

As with all other forms of fortune-telling, the Chinese do not generally see astrology as an infallible guide to what will happen, but more as a form of weather forecasting in detail. Knowledge about events to come, may allow one to gauge the situation and make decisions from a position of strength. Zi Wei Dou Shu approaches the world and events from the idea that, to view things in their proper context, it is important to recognise the spiritual dynamic of the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...

to find the pattern of change that leads to fundamental truth.

Zi Wei Birth Chart

The 12 Palaces, or Shí Èr Gōng (十二宫) are arranged in Anti-clockwise direction in this fixed sequence.
  1. Life Palace (命宫)
  2. Siblings Palace (兄弟宫)
  3. Marriage Palace (夫妻宫)
  4. Children Palace (子女宫)
  5. Wealth Palace (财昂宫)
  6. Health Palace (疾厄宫)
  7. Travel Palace (迁移宫)
  8. Friends, Servants Palace (仆役宫)
  9. Career Palace (官禄宫)
  10. Property Palace (田宅宫)
  11. Fortune, Virtue Palace (福德宫)
  12. Parents Palace (父母宫)


In addition, there is a 13th Palace called (身宫 Shēn Gōng) or literally, Body Palace. It is as important as any of the other 12 Palaces in interpreting one's life events. Palaces, or Gōng (宫) originated from the concept of house or temple or a space where spirits or souls live in. "Space" does not exist outside "time",
so each palace can relate to the time span of events happening in the particular Gōng.

As mentioned earlier, the essence of Zi Wei Dou Shu lies in the interpretation, and not the plotting of a Birth Chart. Thus, a lot of masters spent years or decades doing case studies before seeing their fruits of their labour.
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