Generally, in cases of palmistry, the questions asked are based on the following features:

1.Shape of Hand
2.Shape of Fingers
3.Shape of Nails
4.Life Line
5.Head Line
6.Heart Line
7.Fate Line
8.Fame Line.

These features represent the following:

Shape of Hand – Significance:
The shape of the hand and the fingers relates to hereditary influence of character and the disposition. There are certain types of hands which are also suited for one work more than any other.

Shape of Finger – Significance:
Your talents and qualities are well understood from the finger shapes.

Shape of Nails – Significance:
Want to know more about your general disposition and other hereditary traits, look out for your nail shapes.

Life Line
Vigor and length of your life are represented by your Life Line. It predicts your illness, death and many other important features that may affect you in your life.
Location:
The Life Line starts from the side of palm between the thumb and the index finger and extends across the middle of the palm towards the base of the hand.

Head Line
The mentality of a person is generally indicated by the Head Line. The intellectual strength or weakness related to talent is signified by this line.
Location:
The Head Line rises from just above the Life Line and extends across the hand.

Heart Line
Love and attraction of the sexes are indicated by your Heart Line. It reflects your humane and loving nature.
Location:
The Heart Line rises from the upper portion of the hand, just below the mounts of Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and Mercury (from base of index finger to base of little finger).

Fate Line
The Line of Fate or Destiny is the center upright line on the palm of the hand. All worldly affairs, result of your career, people who influence you, and ultimately the successes or failures is indicated by this line. It is prominently marked on conic and psychic hands, as they are firm believers in fate.
Location:
The Fate Line starts in the middle of the palm and continues towards the base of the middle finger.

Fame Line
Also known as the line of Apollo, the line of brilliancy or the line of success is the Fame Line. It is heavily marked on conic, spatulate and philosophic hands.
Location:
Running parallel to the Line of Fate is the Fame Line which starts from the base of hand and runs towards ring finger. Success is enhanced by this line as indicated by the line of Fate and also gives fame and distinction to our lives. Appreciation of art is also the indication of this line.

The palmist’s use of his or her intuition becomes more and more easy as he or she becomes more experienced. In time, the palmist is able, almost without conscious thought, to decide which indicators must be taken with great seriousness and which can be virtually disregarded.

Before switching to the regular solar calendar of the western origin, the Chinese used to follow their own calendar which was based on lunar cycles. So, Chinese astrology is based on the conventional lunar calendar, which has twelve cycles of the moon.

There are twelve different animals in Chinese zodiac. Each zodiac period consists of full moon cycle, from new moon to full moon. Therefore, twelve full lunar cycles are there in a Chinese Zodiac year. However, one animal stands for a whole year. So, a Chinese cycle goes round for twelve years before starting all over again. Unlike in western system, where your zodiac comes around every year, in the Chinese system you can celebrate your zodiac birthday only once in twelve years.

There are several legends associated with the creation of the Chinese calendar. One of them has it that the gods wanted to test which of the animals could reach their position the fastest. So, they asked all of them to compete by swimming through a river. The order of their reaching is reflected in the Chinese zodiac. According to another legend, before leaving earth, Lord Buddha asked the animals to visit him. And when they went to meet him, he named the moon cycles according to the order of appearance of the animals. This makes the Chinese zodiac a circle with twelve equal parts much like a pie sliced into twelve parts.

There are specific characteristics associated with every zodiac animal in the Chinese system. The animals are ox, rabbit, tiger, rat, snake, sheep, horse, monkey, rooster, boar, dog and dragon.

So, if you fall under ‘rat’, you are supposed to be aggressive, charming, perfectionist and a little secretive. You are also party loving and somewhat stubborn. Those who belong to the ‘rat’ zodiac may also be somewhat mean at times. Therefore, each zodiac represents a complete personality with both positive and negative traits.

Chinese zodiac system is much different from the solar-based western zodiac system we are all so familiar with. However, many a time the traits you are supposed to have under western system are much the same as those under the Chinese system. That’s quite amazing. This, however, may not happen in all cases.