LESSON L02 / 02 OF 36
The Life Palace and the Body Palace
Find the Life Palace and the Body Palace on the chart, and know that both are starting markers for reading.
Original app lesson · free on the web
This lesson has been self-reviewed and is awaiting final sign-off. The classical passages have been checked word by word; the plain-language text and the exercises are written by this project.
If both are about me, why does the chart have a Life Palace and a Body Palace too?
Fictional birth data · teaching example · not a real person's chart · 2026-10-12
In plain words
The Life Palace is the first stop in reading, and is about the person themself. The Body Palace is another marker that falls in one of the twelve palaces. It only ever falls in one of six: the Life, Partner, Wealth, Travel, Career or Inner Life palace, and sometimes in the same cell as the Life Palace. Find these two markers first, then read on.
What the text says
The Tai Wei Fu treats the body and life markers together, calling them the root of the reading. The classical texts name them as one pair, so they are usually read together.
Compare with your own chart
Open the Chart tab. The Life Palace cell is highlighted, and the cell holding the Body Palace is marked Body. Say one sentence: my Body Palace falls in such-and-such palace.
An everyday example
You can care about your way of approaching life while devoting much energy to work, family or relationships. Life and Body are two starting points, not competing personalities. Note the Body palace's life topic before comparing it with experience.
Record the Life and Body positions separately rather than treating them as two personalities.
CHECK YOURSELF
Now, try it yourself.
Answer both questions correctly to complete the lesson. The original explanation appears after each answer.
FIND IT IN THE CHART
Find it on a chart.
Find the Body Palace and say which palace it falls in.
Open my chart ↗Classical sources
大抵以身命為福德之本，加以根源為窮通之資。
On the whole, the body and life markers are taken as the root, and the origins as the measure of how far one goes.
Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu, Volume 1, "Tai Wei Fu"; traditionally attributed in received editions
Classical texts provide cultural context. Everyday examples and exercises are written by this project.
YOUR STUDY / L02