The Nurture palace (Zi Nu Gong) is one of the twelve palaces of Zi Wei Dou Shu. Besides showing a person's relationship with their children and the younger generation, it also reflects what someone nurtures with care and invests in over the long term, such as interests and passions. Reading this palace is not about predicting what a child will turn out to be. It is about understanding your own habits and tendencies when it comes to "nurturing."

For example, a person may be very patient in helping a child learn, yet leave little time for their own interests. Or they may keep putting energy into one hobby and slowly grow it into a real skill over the years. The stars in the Nurture palace often hint at the character of that kind of investment.

What Is the Nurture Palace in Zi Wei Dou Shu?

The Nurture palace shows more than children. It also stands for what a person nurtures with care, including interests and passions. It sits between the Wealth palace and the Love palace, and it governs the relationship with children and the younger generation. The stars inside it can reflect how many children there may be, the direction of their development, and the bond between parent and child.

The palace across from the Nurture palace is the Property palace, which shows the living environment and the family situation. These have a big effect on how children are raised and how personal interests grow. The trine palaces of the Nurture palace are the Network palace and the Authority palace, which means that relationships with friends, colleagues, elders and superiors can shape how a person raises the next generation, and can also shape how their interests form.

The Nurture palace also reflects what someone nurtures with care, such as interests and passions. The environment a person lives in and the relationships around them influence how these passions develop and how long they last.

Overall, the Nurture palace helps you understand your relationship with your children, the dynamics at home, and the things you nurture in your own life.

The 14 Major Stars in the Nurture Palace

Each major star brings a different influence when it sits in the Nurture palace, depending on whether it has helpful stars supporting it or meets harsh stars, the judge star or the Entanglement Transformation. Below, each major star is described in turn, with what it may suggest about children and about interests and passions.

The Pillar (Zi Wei) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: With helpful stars, children tend to be obedient and may achieve a lot. In developing their own interests, the person can build up skill in an orderly, steady way.
• Watch for: When the Pillar meets the edge and the drag, conversations with children may be harder, and children may be strong-willed and slow to take advice. Patient listening often works better than firm demands.

The Strategist (Tian Ji) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children tend to be clever and quick, and education may bring good results. The person's own interests are often linked with exploring, learning and research.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, the person may worry about their children, or may have children later, with a lot of thinking and concern. More time together and open conversation may help both sides feel at ease.

The Visionary (Tai Yang) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children tend to have bright qualities and may build a career of their own. The parenting style is strict but fair.
• Watch for: With the judge star and other harsh stars, keeping the bond with children may take more effort, and children may be strong-willed, so both sides need more respect for each other.

The Builder (Wu Qu) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children tend to be independent and may have careers of their own. In developing their own interests, the person has the persistence to protect their passions.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, children may meet more obstacles in daily life, work or study. The person should also take care not to drop a long-term interest just because life is busy.

The Eternal Child (Tian Tong) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children tend to get along well and the home sees fewer conflicts. The person's interests are often deeper and steadier.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, the bond with children may be less stable, and teaching or protecting them may need extra effort. Interests may also struggle to grow for lack of direction.

The Perfectionist (Lian Zhen) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: The person raises children strictly but fairly, helping them grow with strength. Their own interests and passions tend to be strong and steady.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, children may be stubborn or less respectful toward elders, and personal interests may be affected by outside factors, making progress harder.

The Steward (Tian Fu) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children may enjoy a comfortable life and success. The person is also able to create a good environment for nurturing their own interests and passions.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, the bond with children may be less stable, and the process of nurturing an interest may meet obstacles, with results that do not match hopes.

The Empath (Tai Yin) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: The relationship with children tends to be gentle and full of affection. The person can also nurture interests with deep feeling and dedication.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, children's moods may be less steady and the relationship with the parent less smooth. Interests may also be hard to sustain because of indecision.

The Wolf (Tan Lang) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children may have a comfortable life and be creative and willing to try new things. The person may also find it easier to pursue their own interests and passions.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, children may get caught up in arguments and friction, and the pursuit of an interest may meet obstacles and difficulty.

The Skeptic (Ju Men) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children tend to be good communicators who fit into society easily. The person's interests and passions can grow naturally and without strain.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, communication with children may be less smooth, or children may seem uninterested, which can strain the relationship. A little more patience and care with tone may help.

The Loyalist (Tian Xiang) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children may do well and move ahead smoothly. The person can also strengthen their own interests and passions.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, children may find it hard to keep their success going, or an interest may be held back by outside factors.

The Sage (Tian Liang) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: The person raises children with care and attention, while developing personal interests in a balanced way.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, the relationship with children may hit obstacles, and the results of interests and passions may fall short of what was hoped for.

The Blade (Qi Sha) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children may show achievement and strength, and the ability to be independent and self-directed.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, the relationship with children may be tense, or children may face more tests in life and need more support.

The Disruptor (Po Jun) in the Nurture Palace

• Favorable: Children may have strong creativity and sometimes achieve a great deal in their careers.
• Watch for: With harsh stars, children may find it harder to develop steadily, and family relationships may have ups and downs, which calls for more patient company.

How Minor Stars Affect the Nurture Palace

Minor stars in the Nurture palace also influence children and the person's own interests and passions. They help show how someone nurtures and shapes their children, and what they put effort into in daily life.

Helpful Stars

• The support stars (Zuo Fu and You Bi): In the Nurture palace they suggest strong support and protection from family or the outside world for children or for personal plans. They create favorable conditions, so it is easier to build relationships and gain something from what you are pursuing.
• The writing stars (Wen Chang and Wen Qu): They bring a clear mind and the ability to communicate, helping a person raise children or build a career in a good learning environment. Children, or the person's own passions, tend to grow well in settings of learning and culture.
• The patron stars (Tian Kui and Tian Yue): Symbols of good fortune and talent. In the Nurture palace they suggest guidance from people with broad views and ability, which can help in raising children or developing interests.

Harsh Stars

• The void stars (Di Kong and Di Jie): In the Nurture palace they can bring change into the process of raising children or building an interest. A person may find it hard to set a direction or keep things steady, with sudden shifts.
• The edge and the drag (Qing Yang and Tuo Luo): They can bring friction in the relationship with children or in what a person nurtures. Tension may interrupt progress or break the rhythm, so it is worth paying attention to communication.
• The flare and the smoulder (Huo Xing and Ling Xing): Children or personal interests may become hurried and quick to flare up. The person or the people around them may lose patience, so keeping harmony in family relationships or in self-management takes extra care.

Basic Principles for Reading the Nurture Palace

The Nurture palace reflects what a person nurtures with care: children, interests, passions and the goals they are pursuing. To read it well, keep these four basic principles in mind.

1. Look at the stars in the palace and the stars shining into it

The major and minor stars in the Nurture palace directly influence matters about children as well as interests and passions. For example, the Builder in the Nurture palace suggests children who tend to be independent and have careers of their own, while the person also has the persistence to nurture and protect their interests.

2. Look at the relationship with other palaces

The Nurture palace is closely tied to the Property palace and the Network palace. The Property palace sits across from the Nurture palace, showing how the living environment influences children's development and the things a person nurtures. The Nurture palace also forms a trine with the Network palace, showing how friends and colleagues influence the way a person shapes what they nurture. It forms a trine with the Authority palace too, which reflects how the relationship with parents and elders affects the way children or personal interests are raised.

3. Weigh the effect of minor stars

Helpful stars such as the support stars and the writing stars may help build the relationship with children and let a person grow an interest steadily, raising quality and achievement in these areas. Harsh stars such as the edge and the drag suggest friction or instability with children or with what a person pursues, which can affect long-term growth.

4. Look at the decade and the Annual layer

When reading timing, pay attention to the Nurture palace in the decade and in the Annual layer, to see changes in children, passions or interests at different stages. Changes in the stars during these stages affect existing plans and personal relationships, and help point to the direction of future development.

In Short: The Nurture Palace and What You Nurture With Care

The Nurture palace stands for the relationship with children, and also for the interests and passions a person nurtures with care. Its ties to the Property, Network and Authority palaces show that the living environment and the people around you both play a part in how the next generation grows up.

In short:

• The Nurture palace looks at children and the younger generation, and also at interests and passions. Its palace across is the Property palace, and its trine palaces are the Network palace and the Authority palace.
• The major stars hint at the way a person nurtures, helpful stars bring support, and harsh stars remind you to bring more patience and conversation.
• The Nurture palace in a decade or in the Annual layer shows changes at different stages.

Through the stars in the Nurture palace, you can understand more about how the next generation grows and about your own interests and passions, and find a direction that fits your life better. To see the stars in your own Nurture palace, you can generate a chart on HOROS and learn more.