Question 1

What is Tử Vi?

Accepted Answer

Tử Vi, or Tử Vi Đẩu Số (紫微斗數), is the Vietnamese form of Purple Star astrology. It arranges a person's birth into a chart of twelve palaces (cung) — Destiny, Siblings, Spouse, Children, Wealth, Health and so on — and places dozens of stars across them, led by the Purple Star (Tử Vi) itself. It is one of the most detailed systems in East Asian tradition.

Question 2

Is Tử Vi the same as Zi Wei Dou Shu?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tử Vi Đẩu Số and Chinese Zi Wei Dou Shu are the same system — the same 紫微斗數, the same twelve palaces and the same stars — with Tử Vi being the Vietnamese name and terminology. AsterNym computes both on one engine.

Question 3

What is the cung Mệnh?

Accepted Answer

The cung Mệnh is the Destiny or Life palace — the most important of the twelve palaces in a Tử Vi chart. It is placed from the lunar month and the birth hour, and the stars that fall in it are read as the core of a person's character and life. Vietnamese charts also mark the cung Thân, the Body palace.

Question 4

Do I need my birth time for Tử Vi?

Accepted Answer

Yes — more than in almost any other system. The Life palace (cung Mệnh) and the whole arrangement of the twelve palaces are placed using your birth hour, so without an accurate time the chart cannot be cast reliably. A rough time changes which palace your stars fall into.

Question 5

What are the main stars in Tử Vi?

Accepted Answer

The chart is led by the fourteen major stars, headed by Tử Vi (the Purple Star), along with stars such as Thiên Cơ, Thái Dương, Vũ Khúc, Thiên Đồng and Liêm Trinh, plus many minor stars. Their placement across the twelve palaces, and the four transformations (tứ hóa), drive the reading.

Tử Vi: your Vietnamese Purple Star chart

What is Tử Vi?

Tử Vi, Zi Wei — one system, two names