1. The Spouse Palace Is Where Compatibility Lives
In Zi Wei Dou Shu, zwds marriage and love compatibility questions are read primarily through the Spouse Palace (夫妻宮), commonly called the "marriage palace" in English. The major star (or combination) sitting there describes the type of partner you attract and the general emotional tone the relationship tends to take.
2. Comparing Two Charts
A full compatibility reading compares each partner's Spouse Palace against the other's Life Palace, checking whether the elements and stars support or clash with each other — similar in spirit to synastry in Western astrology, but built on the 12-palace and Four Transformations framework instead.
3. What Different Stars in the Marriage Palace Suggest
Zi Wei here suggests a partner with real presence and authority; Tan Lang suggests strong romantic magnetism and social charm; Tian Ji suggests a relationship built on conversation and adaptability rather than stability from day one; Qi Sha or Po Jun can suggest a relationship that arrives later or after some upheaval, but often proves transformative once established.
4. Beyond the Spouse Palace
The Siblings Palace and Friends Palace (often read as "peer relationship" indicators) and any peach-blossom minor stars (Hong Luan, Tian Xi, Xian Chi) add further nuance — a rich love compatibility reading rarely stops at a single palace. Anyone who wants a full picture of the zi wei dou shu marriage palace should read it alongside the Life Palace of both charts, not in isolation.