Ziwei Doushu is the discipline statistically generalized from observing the stars and the cycles in nature by Chinese over a prolonged time.

The Chinese astronomy has divided the surrounding of the Lodestar into three areas and 28 constellations. The three areas are Ziwei, Taiwei and Tienshi. Ziwei is exactly the Lodestar; so this kind of constellate documenting is called ‘Ziwei Doushu’.

Today we come to know that a lot of hypotheses in astrology are false.

The discourse that the constellations correspond to the human society has the hypothesis that human being, or the earth is the center of the universe—this is typical of anthropic practice. Later, N. Copernicus announced his heliocentric theory prooving that earth is not the center of the universe. And this hypothesis no longer held true.

But, is astrology therefore meaningless?

Looking at history, metaphysics is usually the origin of science. The former lies in daring assumption, the latter, careful proving. The result of the proving often denies the previous assumption. However, the assumption may not necessarily be wrong; it is just a case of lucky shot of science. The human history is a record of evolutions with constant tries and errors.

I have studies astrology since young age; with the purpose to understand where is it that I came from, where I will go? Why was I born here and now? Why not five hundred years ago? Or a hundred years later? Does being born here and now mean anything special? From such an angle, astrology is the reason for life, also a kind of philosophy.

Ziwei Doushu is under the category ‘astrology’ in the Five Arts—the others four are geomancy, medicine, physiognomy, and divination. Because it assumes that the time of birth is the fixed feature in life, all the researches ever in it have pursued for a formula to clearly describe the life track of one man, and to predict lucks and misfortune. This is the thinking of predestination, which assumes that one’s fate has been predetermined once he was born.

To thoroughly understand Ziwei Doushu, it needs starting with research in predestination, then shedding the burden of same, and turning the orientation to fate making. In so doing, one will find over thousands of years of recording and studying the course of everyone from his birth to his death, also comparing those records of different times of birth, Ziwei Doushu has literally become a science of human behaviors with great details. The stars are no longer what they mean in the heaven, but become symbols for various characteristics; each star represents one personality. And Ziwei Doushu looks into the different fortunes for different personalities from the angle of predestination.

When we change the premise of predestination to making own fate, Ziwei Doushu becomes the pioneer for a revolution with an aim to research that ‘fate depending on behaviors, and behaviors depending on personality’. Thus an important and gigantic context of full description of behavioral science is developed. (For detailed discussion on ‘Fate making’, see Chapter 2)

The life chart in Ziwei Doushu looks much like a square clock and is divided into twelve cells symbolizing the cycling of time: 12 ‘hours’ in a day, 12 months in a year, 12 years making a DiZhi (earthly branch), etc. Ziwei Doushu has formulas to place different ‘palaces’ and main stars in each cell according to one’s time of birth.

(1) The Twelve Palaces
The twelve palaces are different life orientations, including life, parents and children, career, love and spouse, inter-personal interaction, wealth and other important indices. Conventional astrologers tell whether it is luck or misfortune according to which star is located in which palace. But in ter ms of the ’fate making’ theo ry I promote, each of these 12 palaces has distinctive meanings. They are as follows:

Palace of Life: t he most important one among the twelve palaces, it is the pivot. And it closely relates to the other palaces, like the brain of a human body, which conducts the overall, organizes thoughts, plans and gives orders. The palace of life itself signifies neither good nor bad, it only displays the inborn character and personal traits of an individual.

Palace of Happiness: in modern view, it can be said as attitude of life.

Palace of Career: in modern view, it can be said as tendency of work.

Palace of Travel: in modern view, it can be said as tendency of inter-personal relationship.

Palace of Wealth: in modern view, it can be said as financing mode.

The life chart in Ziwei Doushu looks much like a square clock and is divided into twelve cells.

Palace of Spouse: in modern view, it can be said as attitude of love.

Palace of Parents: in modern view, it can be said as attitude toward the elder generations.

Palace of Siblings: in modern view, it can be said as attitude toward the same generation.

Palace of Children: in modern view, it can be said as attitude toward the younger generations.

Palace of Properties: in modern view, it can be said as management of real estates.

Palace of Friends: in modern view, it can be said as attitude toward the peers.

Palace of Health: in modern view, it can be said as the care for health.

The Palace of Life can fall in any of the cells on the life chart, determined by the Ziwei formula. Once its location is determined, the other palaces can be filled with the followings in the clockwise order: Parents, Happiness, Properties, Career, Friends, Travel, Health, Wealth, Children, Spouse and Siblings.

(2) Major Stars
Ziwei Doushu has as many as 108 stars, but only 14 of them are crucial. These are Ziwei, Tien Fu, Wu Qu, Tien Xian, Qi Sha, Po Jun, Lian Zhen, Tan Lang, Tai Yang (Sun), Ju Meng, Tien Zi, Tien Tong, Tien Liang and Tai Yin (Moon). The remaining 94 are called auxiliary stars. In the sense of an 80/20 principle, the major 14 can decide 80 percents of the personal traits, and the other 94, the remaining 20 percents. Thus, this book focuses on the analysis of these 14 major stars, that is, 14 personality prototypes.

Any of the 14 major stars falling on the Palace of Life is called the ‘master star of palace of life’. For example, when the palace of Life has Ziwei Star, it is called ‘Ziwei sitting life’; or when the palace of Life has Ziwei and Tien Fu Stars, it is called ‘Ziwei and Tien Fu sitting life’. What is special is when there are no major stars in this palace—called ‘Life without major star; and in this case, the major star(s) can be borrowed from the palace of Travel, which is right opposite the palace of Life. The categorization of every major star to be discussed in the following chapters is based on the major stars in the palace of Life.