ABOUT
Zi Wei Dou Shu features 12 houses, similar to Western and Vedic Astrology, with the placement of each house determined by the hour of birth.
Exploring the 12 houses and their meanings reveals various aspects of life, from self and appearance to career and legacy. Each house summarizes a unique area of experience, influencing our journey through life.
HOUSE 1: LIFE OR SELF
The Life House (Self / Destiny House) is the core of a Zi Wei Dou Shu chart. It reveals who you truly are—your personality, strengths, weaknesses, potentials and natural talents—while also pointing to the challenges and lessons you must face. It reflects your appearance, aura, and the way others perceive you, as well as giving clues about your background, health, and life foundation. Most importantly, it shows the bigger picture of your destiny, including your life path, key turning points, and potential. As the center of the chart, it influences every other house, from career to relationships, much like the sun shines over the entire chart.
It is of paramount importance as it influences the assessment of your fate in conjunction with the Wealth House (5), Travel House (7), Career House (9), and Mental House (11).
HOUSE 2: SIBLINGS
The Siblings House reflects your relationship with brothers, sisters, and close companions. It shows their personalities, the quality of your bond, and whether you support each other—or face challenges like separation or early loss. Beyond family, it also represents friendships, colleagues, business partners, and even rivals, giving insight into how these people influence your life. In addition, this house is linked to your savings and connections with those younger than you.
HOUSE 3: SPOUSE
The Spouse House represents your partner, marriage, romantic affairs and long-term relationships. It shows your attitude toward love, the quality of your union, and how you interact with a partner—whether the bond is harmonious, difficult, or unstable. This house also reveals your spouse’s personality, appearance, background, and abilities, as well as the timing of marriage and the likelihood of early or late unions. It can indicate joys, challenges, separation, or multiple marriages, and also reflects your general approach to relationships. If no stars are present here, the opposite Career House provides additional clues about your partnerships.
Tips: The Spouse House mainly represents your first marriage. A second marriage is seen in the Children House, and so on. For affairs or outside relationships, you would check the Spouse House’s opposite (the Career House).
HOUSE 4: CHILDREN
The Children House relates to your children—their number, health, talents, and potential—as well as your relationship with them and your role in their growth. It also reflects fertility, sexuality, and personal creativity, showing how you express yourself and what you create, whether children or projects. Beyond family, this house represents students, subordinates, savings, and partnerships, as well as the success of your ideas, ventures, and connections that may support or influence you.
HOUSE 5: WEALTH
The Wealth House represents your relationship with money and how you earn, manage, and grow it. It shows your financial path—whether income comes from steady work, investments, or sudden gains—and whether wealth is built through effort or unexpected opportunities. This house also reveals your attitude toward money, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses, and offers insight into how to manage resources wisely for long-term security.
HOUSE 6: HEALTH
The Health House reflects your overall physical and mental well-being. It shows potential weak spots in the body, the types of illnesses or accidents you may face, and even aspects of emotional or sexual health. Certain stars point to specific organs, while harsher stars like Huo Xing and Ling Xing suggest illness or physical struggles. This house is always read together with the Life House—a strong Life House can lessen health problems, while a weak one may worsen them.
When negative influences such as Sha Qi, Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing, Di Jie, or Di Kong appear, they can indicate ongoing health struggles or frequent illness.
In addition, the Health House can also represent your workplace or office environment.
HOUSE 7: TRAVEL
The Travel / Migration House reflects your life outside your home environment. It shows your experiences with journeys, relocation, and overseas opportunities, as well as how well you adapt to new surroundings. This house also relates to safety, accidents, and the kinds of opportunities or challenges you may face while traveling. It highlights your social interactions in unfamiliar places, relationships abroad, and potential in international trade or study. Closely linked to the Life House, it indicates whether you are more likely to stay near your roots or build a life far from your hometown.
HOUSE 8: FRIENDS
The Friends House reflects your relationships with friends, peers, and subordinates. It shows the quality of these connections—whether they bring support, loyalty, or conflict—and reveals how you interact with others in both personal and professional settings. This house also highlights your leadership style, your ability to work with teams or partners, and how well you perform in group or academic environments. In some cases, it can also reflect the health of your spouse.
HOUSE 9: CAREER
The Career House represents your professional path, ambitions, and long-term achievements. It shows the type of work or industry you are best suited for, your career direction, and whether you excel as an employee, leader, or entrepreneur. This house also reflects your skills, work attitude, and relationships with superiors or partners, revealing how your career is likely to grow over time. In some cases, it can also be linked to the health of your children.
HOUSE 10: PROPERTY
The Property House reflects your real estate, assets, and home life. It shows whether you are likely to buy, inherit, or accumulate property, as well as changes in residence and the quality of your living environment. This house also relates to family background, ancestral property, and the stability provided by your roots. Beyond homes, it indicates long-term wealth storage and material assets, such as land or investments, that form the foundation of your security. In some readings, it may also touch on hidden relationships or affairs.
HOUSE 11: MENTAL
The Mental House reflects your inner self, mindset, and emotional well-being. It shows your temperament, outlook on life, and capacity for happiness and peace of mind. This house also points to your hobbies, interests, spiritual growth, and hidden traits that shape your personality.
For women, it has a special link to marriage, as it influences how they support a spouse. It is also tied to health, longevity, and overall quality of life, showing whether you enjoy blessings, stability, or challenges. In some traditions, it is further connected to past karma, suggesting lessons or influences carried into this life.
HOUSE 12: PARENTS
The Parents House reflects your relationship with parents, mentors, and authority figures, showing the guidance, support, or challenges you may experience. It can also indicate family background, inheritance, and the influence of elders on your life.
Beyond family, it relates to health and vulnerability to illness, as well as how you handle official matters such as education, documents, or dealings with superiors. In some traditions, this house is also linked to physical appearance, since our looks are inherited from our parents.
THE ENERGY OF THE HOUSES
THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL HOUSES
⬤ Internal houses - Directly related to you
⬤ External houses - Other subjects
THE OPPOSITE HOUSES
These houses are also called clashing houses.
⬤ TIGER - MONKEY
⬤ SNAKE - PIG
⬤ HORSE - RAT
⬤ GOAT - OX
⬤ DRAGON - DOG
⬤ RABBIT - ROOSTER
THE TRIANGLE HOUSES
⬤ RAT - MONKEY - DRAGON
⬤ TIGER - HORSE - DOG
⬤ SNAKE - OX - ROOSTER
⬤ GOAT - RABBIT - PIG
THE QUADRUPLE HOUSES
The quadruple houses are three types explained as below:
1. The 4 Corner Houses
⬤ TIGER - MONKEY - SNAKE - PIG
Meaning: Growth. Movement. Unstable.
2. The 4 Tomb Houses
⬤ OX - GOAT - DRAGON - DOG
Meaning: Stable. Stagnant. Conservative.
3. The 4 Cardinal Houses
⬤ RAT - HORSE - RABBIT - ROOSTER
Meaning: Socialize. Self-indulgence. Directionless.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOUSES
House 1, or the Life House, symbolizes your personal traits and abilities, which can influence your financial prosperity (House 5) through your chosen career path (House 9).
Your health, represented by the 6th House, is crucial, but recognizing your abilities comes first. The 11th House, or your Mental House, will disclose if your thinking is in harmony with your capabilities.
THE HOUR POSITIONS IN THE HOUSES
In the old Chinese way of keeping time, they split each
day into 12 parts instead of 24 hours like we do today. Each
part lasts 2 hours and has its own zodiac animal.
These 2-hour time blocks are called "shichen" -
which just means "time periods."
The 12 Time Periods and Their Ruling Animals:
1. Rat: 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM (late night)
2. Ox: 1:00 AM - 3:00 AM (very early morning)
3. Tiger: 3:00 AM - 5:00 AM (before sunrise)
4. Rabbit: 5:00 AM - 7:00 AM (sunrise time)
5. Dragon: 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM (early morning)
6. Snake: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (morning)
7. Horse: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (late morning/noon)
8. Goat/Sheep: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (early afternoon)
9. Monkey: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (afternoon)
10. Rooster: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (evening)
11. Dog: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (night)
12. Pig: 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM (late night)
Why Does Your Birth Time Matter?
When an astrologer read your destiny using Chinese
methods like Bazi or Zi Wei Dou Shu, they need to know:
- What YEAR you were born = Your main zodiac animal (everyone knows this one)
- What MONTH you were born = Shows certain personality traits
- What DAY you were born = Reveals more about your character
- What TIME you were born = Shows your "hidden self"
Your "Hour Animal"
The animal that was "ruling" when you were born
is called your "hour animal." This animal tells us
about:
- Your true inner personality (the real you that others might not see)
- Your private thoughts and feelings
- How you might be in your later years
- Your relationship with children
Simple Example
Let's say you were born at 6:30 AM on any day. Looking at our list above, 6:30 AM falls during RABBIT time (5:00 AM - 7:00 AM). So your "hour animal" would be the RABBIT.
This means even if your main zodiac animal is something else (like if you were born in the Year of the Dragon), you also have Rabbit energy inside you that affects your personality.
Why This Information is Needed?
When you go for a Chinese destiny reading, they'll ask for your exact birth time because:- It gives them a complete picture of who you are
- They can see both your outer personality and inner self
- It makes their predictions more accurate
- It helps them understand all sides of your character
So remember: your birth time is just as important as your birth date for Chinese destiny reading.
THE 12 YEARS CYCLE IN EACH HOUSE
THE 12 STAGES OF THE HOUSES
The 12 stages represent the growth and decay cycle of each house, typically employed in the San He system. The Flying Star School does not emphasize the 12 stages. It can serve as additional knowledge to understand your cycle.
The positions of the 12 stages are determined by your birth details.
The stages are:
1 Growth
2 Bath
3 Youth
4 Officer
5 Prosperity
6 Weak
7 Sick
8 Death
9 Grave
10 Extinct
11 Conceived
12 Nurturing
Read also the related
articles here:
Zi Wei Dou Shu - The Birth Hour
Zi Wei Dou Shu - The Chart Structure
