What are the Twelve Palaces? A traditional map that divides the face into twelve seats
The Twelve Palaces (十二宮, sibi-gung) are a 'face map' from traditional physiognomy that divides the face into twelve seats, each tied to one area of life. Running from the center of the forehead down through the glabella, eyes, nose, cheeks, and chin, these twelve seats carry names: the Life, Wealth, Siblings, Property, Children, Servants, Spouse, Health, Travel, Career, Fortune, and Parents palaces. The system was codified in old texts of the Mayi Xiangfa and Shenxiang Quanbian lineage.
The names sound like claims — 'wealth is here, parents are there' — but the Twelve Palaces are really closer to a set of positional conventions: which part of the face was called what. So this article organizes them mainly by where each palace sits. The symbolism tradition attached to each seat is shared here as old lore only, and it does not determine anyone's personality or destiny.
One note: these palaces share a number with the Western zodiac's twelve houses, but they are an entirely different system. They are names for parts of the face, not constellations, and they are not scientifically validated. Please enjoy them as a way to read old culture and language.
Why twelve seats?
Old physiognomists placed the themes they cared about across a lifetime — wealth, siblings, children, spouse, home and property, office (career), parents, movement — onto parts of the face one by one. It is as if life were sorted into twelve drawers and laid out over the face. Read as a classification scheme, the Twelve Palaces become far easier to remember.
No exact reason survives for the number twelve, but writers often note it was a familiar 'one full cycle' number in East Asian culture, like the twelve months or the twelve earthly branches. This is background lore only; no one claims the count itself holds any special power.
Four palaces on the forehead — Career, Fortune, Parents, and Travel
The upper face, the forehead (the 'upper court'), gathers four palaces: the Career Palace (官祿宮) at the forehead's center, the Fortune Palace (福德宮) at the upper side corners, the Parents Palace (父母宮) at the very top on the left and right, and the Travel Palace (遷移宮) along the forehead's edge up past the tail of the brow. Memorize all four by position and they stop blurring together.
Traditional physiognomy linked the Career Palace to office and reputation, the Fortune Palace to ease of mind and blessings, the Parents Palace to one's parents and childhood home, and the Travel Palace to movement, journeys, and life away from home. These are old symbols only; the shape of a forehead does not determine anyone's ability or future.
How to locate the Career and Parents palaces
The Career Palace sits at the center of the forehead, straight up from between the brows (the point called Zhongzheng, 中正). The Parents Palace is higher still — the two slightly raised spots at the top left and right of the forehead, which old texts likened to the sun and moon and called Rijiao (日角) and Yuejiao (月角). The left was often read as the father and the right as the mother, but that is a traditional metaphor and not a basis for judging anything about real parents.
The Fortune and Travel palaces handle the forehead's edges. The Fortune Palace is the upper side corners (Tiancang, 天倉); the Travel Palace lies further out, along the hairline edge and above the tail of the brow. Many read the old link between this seat and long journeys or moving house — its name 'post-horse' (驛馬) — as simply reflecting that it sits at the face's outer edge.
| Facial zone | Palaces here | Rough position |
|---|---|---|
| Forehead (upper court) | Career, Fortune, Parents, Travel | Forehead center, upper side corners, and edges |
| Brow and lid | Siblings, Property | The brows, and the lid between brow and eye |
| Around the eyes | Life, Spouse, Children | Glabella, outer eye corner, just under the eye |
| Nose (middle court) | Health, Wealth | Nose root between the eyes, and the whole nose |
| Cheek and chin (lower court) | Servants | Lower cheeks and around the chin (near Dige) |
Five palaces around the eyes and brows — Life, Siblings, Property, Spouse, Children
The middle of the face, around the eyes and brows, packs in five of the twelve seats: the Life Palace (命宮) at the glabella, the Siblings Palace (兄弟宮) which is the brow itself, the Property Palace (田宅宮) on the lid between brow and eye, the Spouse Palace (妻妾宮) past the outer eye toward the temple, and the Children Palace (男女宮) just below the eye. With five crowded into a small zone, memorizing their positions side by side is the trick.
The Life Palace — center of the twelve
The Life Palace is the glabella between the brows, commonly called Yindang (印堂). It is the first seat named whenever the Twelve Palaces come up; tradition treated it as the 'center' where the face's energy gathers and favored it broad and bright. That, of course, is an aesthetic preference of old physiognomy — the shape of a glabella does not determine a person's personality or destiny.
Locating the Siblings, Property, Spouse, and Children palaces
The Siblings Palace is, literally, the eyebrows; old books likened the brows to bonds with siblings, friends, and those around you. The Property Palace is the fuller lid between brow and eye, the seat that symbolized home and real estate — a 'foundation.' The two sit adjacent, so it helps to memorize them as a pair.
The Spouse Palace runs from the outer corner of the eye toward the temple (Yuwei and Jianmen, 魚尾·奸門), the seat where spouse and marriage were discussed; the Children Palace is the fuller area right under the eye (Leitang and Wocan, 淚堂·臥蠶), tied to children and descendants. These are symbols tradition assigned, and the shape around the eyes does not determine family matters.
Two palaces on the nose — the Health and Wealth palaces
Rising at the center of the face, the nose is assigned two palaces. The hollow where the bridge begins, between the eyes (Shangen, 山根), is the Health Palace (疾厄宮); the bridge, tip, and wings of the nose below it make up the Wealth Palace (財帛宮).
In traditional physiognomy the Wealth Palace symbolized, as its name says, wealth and household means. Many descriptions likened the nose tip (Zhundou) and nostril wings to a place where money comes and goes. But that is an old metaphor only; the shape of a nose does not determine a person's wealth or ability.
Not misreading the Health Palace
The Health Palace carries 'illness' (疾) in its name because old people tied it to the body. But this is only an old classification, and a part of the face is not used to diagnose a health condition. If you are worried about your health, the right move is to consult a medical professional, not physiognomy.
The Servants Palace on cheek and chin, and how the twelve were read together
The last of the twelve, the Servants Palace (奴僕宮), sits on the lower cheeks and around the chin (near Dige, 地閣). The name comes from a class-based era, so rather than 'servants,' it is better understood today as the seat for relationships with coworkers, juniors, and the people around you. The name is a trace of its time, so it is not taken as a basis for judgment.
Old physiognomists rarely read the twelve palaces in isolation; they read them in connection. They first split the face into three courts (Santing, 三停) — upper (forehead), middle (eyes and nose), and lower (mouth and chin) — then located the twelve seats within them. Seen alongside the three courts, the positions of the Twelve Palaces come into sharper focus.
How the Twelve Palaces relate to the three courts and age positions
The Twelve Palaces map the face by theme; the three courts map it in vertical thirds; and the age-position system (流年運氣) numbers parts of the face by age. It helps to see all three as tools that overlay the same face in different ways. This article covered only the Twelve Palaces as a map of positions.
How to enjoy the Twelve Palaces wisely
The Twelve Palaces are a centuries-old cultural inheritance and a fascinating record of how closely people once studied the face. Knowing the names and positions of the twelve seats makes expressions in old paintings, novels, and folktales read far more clearly. That 'reading pleasure' is, I think, the greatest use of the Twelve Palaces.
But we do not use whether a seat is 'good' or 'bad' to rank people, nor as grounds to second-guess someone's life. The Twelve Palaces do not determine anyone's ability or future, and they cannot change who you are today. Enjoying old face lore as culture is exactly the right place to leave it.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Twelve Palaces the same as the Western twelve zodiac houses?
The name is similar, but they are entirely different. The Western twelve houses are an astrological concept dividing the constellations, while the physiognomic Twelve Palaces are a traditional map dividing the face into twelve parts. Their lineage and purpose differ, so they are not mixed.
If the Wealth Palace is the nose, does a big nose mean wealth?
Traditional physiognomy did liken the nose (the Wealth Palace) to wealth, but that is only an old symbol. The size or shape of a nose does not determine a person's wealth or ability. Please enjoy it as reading a face map for fun.
Can the Health Palace tell me about my health?
No. The Health Palace has 'illness' in its name because old people tied it to the body, but a part of the face is not used to diagnose a health condition. If you are curious about your health, check with a medical professional rather than physiognomy.
Why is the Life Palace listed first among the twelve?
The Life Palace (the glabella) was treated in tradition as the 'center' where the face's energy gathers, so it is named first when the Twelve Palaces come up. It also sits at the middle of the face, which makes it an easy reference point. Still, the shape of a glabella does not determine a person's personality or destiny.
Is there an easy way to memorize the palace positions?
Split the face into three zones — forehead, eyes-and-nose, and chin — then fill them in. Career, Fortune, Parents, Travel on the forehead; Life, Siblings, Property, Spouse, Children around the eyes; Health and Wealth on the nose; Servants on cheek and chin. It is for the fun of knowing positions, not a tool for judging fortune.
Article info & references
Published July 4, 2026 · Last updated July 4, 2026
- Mayi Xiangfa (麻衣相法) — a foundational traditional physiognomy text that codified the Twelve Palaces system
- Shenxiang Quanbian (神相全編) lineage texts and their naming of the twelve palaces and facial regions (Life Palace, Wealth Palace, Shangen, Dige, and so on)
- General references on the East Asian physiognomic division of the face (three courts, five peaks and four rivers, twelve palaces)