Three harmonies and the opposite (三方四正)
The four seats read together with any palace — its opposite plus the two trine palaces.
With Life as the reference, Career and Wealth form the trine; Travel is the opposite palace.
The double border marks the reference palace, solid lines the trine, and the dashed line the opposite. Icons represent palace themes, not placed stars.
This example places the Life palace at Yin. Its actual position depends on birth month and hour; choosing another reference palace changes the related palaces.
Read about this relationship
Three harmonies and the opposite (三方四正)
Zi Wei Dou Shu never reads a palace by itself. The palace in question is read together with the palace directly opposite it and the two palaces linked to it by trine, the four taken as one set — this is the three-harmony-and-opposite reading. Reading the Life palace alongside Career, Wealth and Travel is the standard example. The reason is simple: even when a palace is empty, the stars in the opposite palace shine into it (borrowed stars). Convention warns that judging a palace in isolation is the most common misreading in this art.
Palaces in this example
- Life Palace
The center of the chart — the palace for reading your essence and the main thread of your life.
- Career Palace
The palace for reading career and business, social achievement and honor.
- Wealth Palace
The palace for reading the coming and going of wealth and how you earn.
- Travel Palace
The palace for reading the activity and connections that unfold in society, outside the home.
Source: reviewed Zi Wei Dou Shu glossary and twelve-palace placement rules.