---
title: "What Is the Palace Heart (花心)? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "The palace heart is the centre point of the palace. An enemy piece landing there takes away the general's most important square."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-the-palace-heart-in-xiangqi
updated: 2026-09-29
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# What is the palace heart (花心) in xiangqi?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.

> Direct answer
>
> The **palace heart** (花心, literally "flower heart") is the **centre point of the palace**, where the diagonals cross. It is the single most important point in the defence: every other palace point connects to it. An enemy piece that lands there, supported, usually **strangles** the general.

## Why the centre point is so important

The heart is orthogonally next to four other palace points, more than any other point the general can use, so it is the general's most flexible square. It is also the only way an advisor can change sides: an advisor moves diagonally and must pass through the centre to get from one corner to another. If an enemy piece takes the heart, the general loses its central square and the advisors are cut apart. That is why defenders keep it free and attackers aim at it.

## Attacking pieces on the heart

A supported chariot or crossed soldier on the palace heart is a classic attacking post. It attacks the points around it and cannot simply be captured by the general if it is defended. Many finishing combinations end with a piece landing there. [Attacking the palace](https://xiangqimaster.com/learn/attacking-the-palace) and [checkmate patterns](https://xiangqimaster.com/tactics/checkmate-patterns) show typical cases.

## Your own pieces on your heart

Your own pieces can do the attacker's work for them. A horse retreated to the palace centre, called [窩心馬](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-a-horse-in-the-palace-heart), is a known bad shape because it blocks the general. An advisor on the centre is normal and fine, but it still takes the point away from the general, so check what that costs before moving it there.

## Related questions

Can the general stand on the palace heart?

Yes, all nine palace points are available to it, and at the start of the game it sits on the back-rank centre, directly below the heart.

Is the palace heart the same as the centre of the board?

No. It is the centre of each palace, one per side.

## Related xiangqi resources

Attacking the palace

How xiangqi attacks are built

How the general moves

One point orthogonally, never leaves the palace

Advisors and elephants

The defence that decides most endgames

## Try it on a real board

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