Zi Wei Dou Shu Compatibility
Zi Wei Dou Shu compatibility compares the full charts of two people: how each chart sees a spouse, who each person turns out to be in the other's life, and which areas of the partner's life each one brings luck or worry to. The calculator builds both charts, finds all of these connections and sums them up according to tradition.
You need the birth dates and times of both people: a Zi Wei chart cannot be built without the hour. If either person's birth time is unknown, compare the couple by BaZi. Names are only used to label the result and are not sent anywhere.
What the calculator compares
- One person's Spouse palace and the other's Life palace are the main tool for comparing couples in Zi Wei. The Spouse palace describes the partner a person needs; the Life palace describes what a person is really like. Matching stars are the strongest sign: the chart “recognizes” its spouse.
- Where each person stands in the other's chart. The palaces sit on the same twelve branches in every chart, so one person's Life palace always falls into some palace of the other's chart: Spouse, Fortune, Wealth, Friends, Career. This is the place the partner gives that person in their own life.
- The Four Transformations in the partner's chart. The stem of the birth year “switches on” four stars. They are present in the partner's chart too, which shows which area of the partner's life a person brings luck (Hua Lu), drive (Hua Quan), recognition (Hua Ke), and attachment mixed with worry (Hua Ji) to.
- Love stars: one person's Hong Luan, Tian Xi and Tian Yao in the other's Life, Spouse, Fortune or Body palace.
- Characters and elements: the groups of major stars in the Life palaces (Zi Wei and Tian Fu; Qi Sha, Po Jun and Tan Lang; Ji, Yue, Tong and Liang; Ju Men and Tai Yang) and the elements of the ju.
- Now and the next few years: each person's current Major Period and three years that show when the relationship comes to the fore and when it is tested.
The charts themselves are built the same way as in the Zi Wei Dou Shu calculator; the full twelve-palace grids of both people are below the analysis.
How to read the summary
There is no compatibility percentage: the classical texts give no formula by which a star match is worth so much and Hua Ji in the partner's palace so much. The calculator collects the signs that bring a couple closer and the signs that create friction, and compares which outweigh the others — the way a master reasons during a consultation.
Signs that bring a couple closer: a Spouse palace that matches the partner's Life palace, landing in the partner's Spouse, Fortune or Wealth palace, Hua Lu in the partner's Life, Spouse and Fortune palaces, love stars in the partner's Life and Spouse palaces, and ju elements that generate one another. Friction comes from Hua Ji in those same palaces, Life palaces opposite each other, “malefic” stars and Hua Ji in one's own Spouse palace, and elements that control one another.
An entry like “Anna → Ivan” in the result means: how Anna appears in Ivan's chart.
If the birth time is unknown
In Zi Wei, the hour of birth determines the Life palace, and with it all the other palaces, the ju, the position of Zi Wei and half the stars. Without the hour the chart cannot be built, so the calculator asks for both birth times. If only one person knows their time, it is better to compare the couple by BaZi: there, a missing hour costs only one pillar out of four.
If you know the time only approximately, check the neighboring Chinese hour: the calculator will warn you if a birth time is within ten minutes of an hour boundary.
An Honest Look at the Method
Zi Wei Dou Shu is one of the most detailed systems of Chinese astrology, but like other compatibility methods it has no verifiable evidence behind it. Treat the result as a reason to talk about how you are alike and where you disagree, not as a verdict on your relationship.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I do it without a birth time?
No. In Zi Wei, the Life palace, the Spouse palace and half the stars depend on the hour of birth, so without the time the charts cannot be built and there is nothing to compare. If either person's birth time is unknown, compare the couple by BaZi: there, a missing hour costs only one pillar out of four.
Why is there no compatibility percentage?
The Zi Wei classics have no formula by which one match is worth so much and another so much. The calculator names the signs that bring a couple closer and the signs that create friction, and compares which outweigh the others. This is how a master reasons during a consultation, too.
Does it work for same-sex couples and for friends?
Yes. The Spouse and Life palaces, the chart overlay, the Four Transformations and the love stars are calculated for any couple. Gender only affects the direction of the Major Periods in each chart.
How is this different from BaZi compatibility?
BaZi compares the elements of two charts and the connections between their pillars. Zi Wei looks at the stars: how each chart sees a spouse, who each person turns out to be in the other's life, and which area of the partner's life each one brings luck or worry to. The methods complement each other, so it is worth looking at both.