What is Annual Luck (Liu Nian)?

Annual Luck (Liu Nian) in Zi Wei Dou Shu is the theme that changes every year: whatever Earthly Branch this year has, the palace on that branch is this year's "Annual Life Palace," and together with the transformations from the year's stem, that's the year's focus. The classics call Annual Luck "Tai Sui," meaning the same thing. Annual Luck is read beneath the Decade Luck: the Decade Luck is this season's main storyline, and the Annual Luck is this episode's theme.

The short version:

• Formula: Annual Life Palace = the palace on this year's branch; Annual transformations = this year's stem looked up in the transformation table.
• Same palace for everyone: in 2026 everyone's is in Wu, in 2027 in Wei, but on each chart that branch is a different palace with different stars.
• When the year turns: the first day of the lunar new year, not January 1 and not Li Chun.
• How to read it: natal chart first, then Decade Luck, then Annual Luck; read the Annual Life Palace with its San Fang Si Zheng and where the transformations land.

How to find the Annual Life Palace

It's simple: look at this year's branch. 2026 is a Bing Wu year, so everyone's Annual Life Palace is in the Wu palace; 2027 is a Ding Wei year, so it moves to Wei. For the years ahead, use this table:

It's the same branch for everyone, but on each chart that branch is a different palace with different stars. So in the same year, one person's Annual Life Palace lands on their natal Career Palace and the year focuses on work, while another's lands on the Spouse Palace and relationships feel more present. From the Annual Life Palace you can lay out a full ring of twelve: Annual Siblings, Annual Spouse, Annual Wealth and so on. Note that the Annual Wealth Palace isn't necessarily your natal Wealth Palace; it's counted fresh from the Annual Life Palace, so two sets of palace names sit on the same chart.

Which natal palace the Annual Life Palace lands on roughly tells you the year's focus:

To look up your own Annual Life Palace, follow the three steps in how to check your 2027 year on your own chart.

The ten-stem transformation table

The year's stem produces another set of transformations. By the Quan Shu's table:

The same table is used for the birth-year and Decade transformations; only the stem you look up changes. For the Ren year's Hua Ke, many apps use Zuo Fu; the original Quan Shu text says Tian Fu, and Xingge follows the original.

Wherever the yearly transformations land on your chart are this year's bright spots and the places that need care. For example, the 2027 Ding Wei year has Tai Yin Hua Lu, Tian Tong Hua Quan, Tian Ji Hua Ke and Ju Men Hua Ji, summarized in the 2027 Ding Wei transformations; each year's transformations page starts from the Ding year transformations.

Working through an example

Say someone has the Life Palace in Chou with Tian Tong and Ju Men; the Travel Palace in Wei with no main star; Tai Yin in the Spouse Palace in Hai; and Tian Ji in the Career Palace in Si.

In the 2027 Ding Wei year, the Annual Life Palace is in Wei, which is their natal Travel Palace. The year's theme is going out, changing settings and how they come across out in the world. Wei is an empty palace, so it borrows Tian Tong and Ju Men from the opposite palace in Chou, and the Ding year's Tian Tong Hua Quan and Ju Men Hua Ji both sit in that opposite palace, shining in: out in the world they can take charge more readily, but their words are easily misread, so double-check anything important.

Then the Annual Luck's San Fang Si Zheng: Wei's trines are Hai and Mao. Hai holds Tai Yin Hua Lu, in their natal Spouse Palace, so a partner or collaborator is this year's support. Separately, Tian Ji Hua Ke in Si, the natal Career Palace, brings a bit more recognition at work. For the same person, the 2026 Bing Wu year has the Annual Life Palace in Wu, the Friends Palace, so the focus shifts to friends and network.

The year Annual Luck reaches your Life Palace

Volume three of the Quan Shu, on the stars of the annual Tai Sui, says:

Tai Sui is always judged by the stars in its three directions and opposite; when Tai Sui passes through the Life Palace, fortune and misfortune are most pressing.

Two points: the Annual Luck, like the natal chart, is read with its San Fang Si Zheng; and in the year the Annual Luck reaches the natal Life Palace, both good and bad are especially pronounced.

That year comes once every twelve years. Look up your Life Palace branch:

For example, someone with the Life Palace in Wu has it in the 2026 Bing Wu year, and last had it in the 2014 Jia Wu year.

Annual Luck, zodiac year and Minor Luck compared

Many people confuse the Annual Luck reaching their Life Palace with their zodiac year. The zodiac year depends on your birth-year branch, your animal sign; the Annual Luck reaching your Life Palace depends on which branch your Life Palace is on. Someone born in a Horse year doesn't necessarily have their Life Palace in Wu, so the two often fall in different years.

The Minor Luck follows your age and points to its own palace alongside the Annual Luck; read both, and in a year they land on the same palace, that palace's matters feel especially present.

Annual moving stars

Annual moving stars are stars that move with the Annual Luck and only act during that year: the annual Lu Cun, Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Tian Kui and Tian Yue are placed by the year's stem, and the annual Tian Ma by its branch. Where annual moving stars meet your natal stars is where that palace is especially busy this year. When your natal Qing Yang and Tuo Luo meet the annual Qing Yang and Tuo Luo, for example, the classics call it "Yang and Tuo doubled," and that palace asks for more patience this year.

When the year changes

Zi Wei Dou Shu changes the year on the first day of the lunar new year. This is the practice of the Quan Shu and most Zi Wei schools, and Xingge's too. In 2027 the lunar new year falls on February 6; before that it's still the 2026 Bing Wu year. Another school changes the year at the solar term Li Chun, around early February, so for events in late January or early February the two methods can differ by a year.

Principles for reading Annual Luck

• Natal chart first, then Decade Luck, then Annual Luck. Reading only the Annual Luck is like deciding whether to move house from today's weather.
• Annual Luck describes focus, not a script. Annual Hua Ji in a palace means that area needs more patience this year, not that something will happen.
• Read the Annual Life Palace's San Fang Si Zheng too. What stars and transformations arrive from the opposite and trine palaces matters as much as the Annual Life Palace itself.
• Go down to months with Monthly Luck. Monthly Luck and the Dou Jun divides the year into twelve months.

The full lesson is Annual Luck: this year's theme. Draw your chart and Xingge marks this year's Annual Life Palace and transformations.