The Basic Concepts of Chinese Feng Shui

Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism

1. The Qi Pattern Method

In assessing a dwelling of the living (yangzhai), one takes the layout, arrangement, furnishings, and decoration inside the building as the basis, and uses the basic principles of feng shui to judge their influence on people.

In assessing a dwelling of the dead (yinzhai), one considers the location of the grave, the surroundings of the grave, the orientation of the headstone, the depth of the burial chamber, and so on, and uses the basic principles of feng shui to judge their influence on the good and ill fortune, blessings and calamities, of descendants in the world of the living.

The Qi Pattern method takes the Bright Mirror of the Eight Mansions (Bazhai Mingjing) and the Three Essentials of the Yang Dwelling (Yangzhai Sanyao) as its core texts. It judges good and ill fortune according to the relationships of generating, overcoming, controlling, and transforming among yin and yang and the Five Elements, and according to the derivations and changes of the eight trigrams, the Nine Palaces, the ten Heavenly Stems, and the twelve Earthly Branches.

2. The Landform Method

This method judges influences on people from the larger environment outside the building. It determines good and ill fortune from the forms and configurations of the dragon, lair, sand, and water and their interaction.

1. What Does “Dragon” Refer To?

The dragon refers to mountain ranges, subdivided into the Great Ancestor Mountain, the Lesser Ancestor Mountain, and the Parent Mountain, also called the Lesser Yang Mountain. Feng shui describes the rising, falling, stretching, and changing of mountain ranges with the dragon, the creature the Chinese revere most, and endows them with life.

2. What Does “Lair” Refer To?

The lair refers to the location of a building (including dwellings of the dead, that is, graves, and dwellings of the living, that is, houses and lodgings). By observing the course, rise and fall, and changes of the mountain ranges and waterways, one infers the spot where “qi” gathers and rests in embryonic breathing; this is the lair, like the acupoints, the nodes of qi on the meridians of the human body. In the method for dwellings of the dead, it is the burial chamber. For dwellings of the living, on a small scale it is a house or courtyard, on a medium scale a city or town, and on a large scale it can be a country; the key depends on the size of the dragon vein.

3. What Does “Sand” Refer To?

Sand refers to the mountains, hills, and rivers all around the lair—front, back, left, and right—popularly called the Azure Dragon on the left, the White Tiger on the right, the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu) behind, and the Vermilion Bird in front. The Black Tortoise refers to a slightly higher hill behind, serving as the backing mountain; the Vermilion Bird refers to a small hill in front, which is the Facing Mountain, also called the Table Mountain.

4. What Does “Water” Refer To?

Water refers to rivers, ponds, and roads. The quality and speed of a river's water directly affect a person's good or ill fortune and success or adversity.

Clear water that flows long and slowly: the residents are gentle in character and have few disputes.

Muddy water: the residents are bound to be of poor character.

Rushing water: the residents will also be impetuous and bold.

Shallow, surface-skimming water: the residents are mostly fickle and restless.

A river that rushes when it rains and dries up when it does not: this place is bound to have unseasonable weather and a life of poverty.

3. The Ten Heavenly Stems

1. The ten Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui.

2. Yin and yang of the ten Heavenly Stems: the yang stems are Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, and Ren; the yin stems are Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, and Gui.

3. The Five Elements and directions of the Heavenly Stems: Jia and Yi, east, wood; Bing and Ding, south, fire; Wu and Ji, center, earth; Geng and Xin, west, metal; Ren and Gui, north, water.

4. The combinations and transformations of the Heavenly Stems: Jia and Ji combine to transform into earth; Yi and Geng combine to transform into metal; Bing and Xin combine to transform into water; Ding and Ren combine to transform into wood; Wu and Gui combine to transform into fire.

4. The Twelve Earthly Branches

1. The twelve Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai.

2. Yin and yang of the twelve Earthly Branches: Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, and Xu are yang; Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, and Hai are yin.

3. The six clashes of the Earthly Branches: Zi clashes with Wu, Mao with You, Chen with Xu, Chou with Wei, Yin with Shen, and Si with Hai.

4. The three-harmony combinations of the Earthly Branches: Shen, Zi, and Chen combine into a water frame; Hai, Mao, and Wei into a wood frame; Yin, Wu, and Xu into a fire frame; Si, You, and Chou into a metal frame.

5. The directional combinations of the Earthly Branches: Yin, Mao, and Chen meet as eastern wood; Si, Wu, and Wei as southern fire; Shen, You, and Xu as western metal; Hai, Zi, and Chou as northern water.

6. The zodiac animals of the Earthly Branches: Zi, Rat; Chou, Ox; Yin, Tiger; Mao, Rabbit; Chen, Dragon; Si, Snake; Wu, Horse; Wei, Goat; Shen, Monkey; You, Rooster; Xu, Dog; Hai, Pig.

7. The Five Elements of the Earthly Branches: Yin and Mao belong to wood; Si and Wu to fire; Shen and You to metal; Hai and Zi to water; Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei to earth.

8. The months represented by the Earthly Branches: the first lunar month, Yin; the second, Mao; the third, Chen; the fourth, Si; the fifth, Wu; the sixth, Wei; the seventh, Shen; the eighth, You; the ninth, Xu; the tenth, Hai; the eleventh, Zi; the twelfth, Chou.

5. The Characteristics of the Five Elements

The Five Elements: metal, water, wood, fire, earth (beginners should memorize them in this order: each generates the next in sequence and overcomes the one after next).

The generating cycle of the Five Elements: metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal.

The overcoming cycle of the Five Elements: metal overcomes wood, water overcomes fire, wood overcomes earth, fire overcomes metal, and earth overcomes water.

The numbers of the Five Elements: one, water; two, fire; three, wood; four, metal; five, earth. These are the Five Elements numbers of prior heaven, and they come from the River Chart.

(1) The character of wood. Of wood it is said: “bending and straightening.” Bending means yielding; straightening means extending. So wood has the nature of being able to bend and to stretch. Wood takes in the qi of water and earth and so can grow and develop. Thus wood also has the nature of sprouting forth, rising upward, being tall and slender, gentle, and benevolent. Wood governs benevolence.

(2) The character of fire. Of fire it is said: “blazing upward.” Blazing means hot; upward means rising. So fire has the nature of giving off heat, warming, and rising. Fire has the power to drive out cold, remove dampness, and forge metal. Fire is born of wood; its momentum is swift, its nature fierce, and its disposition respectful. Fire governs propriety.

(3) The character of earth. Of earth it is said: “sowing and reaping.” Sowing is planting and reaping is harvesting. Earth has the power to bear things, to generate and transform, and to store and receive. So earth carries the other four elements and is the mother of all things, with a nature that is giving, weighty, and substantial. Earth governs trustworthiness.

(4) The character of metal. Of metal it is said: “yielding and changing.” Yielding means complying and submitting; changing means transforming and reforming. Reform and transformation must be carried out with force, so metal has the character of being able to be soft or hard, malleable, transforming, and austere and killing. Metal governs righteousness.

(5) The character of water. Of water it is said: “moistening and descending.” Moistening means making wet; descending means going downward. So water has the character of nourishing, descending, and submerging and concealing. Water governs wisdom.

6. Yin and Yang

1. Yin and yang of the ten Heavenly Stems

Jia and Yi belong to wood; Jia is yang and Yi is yin; they are located in the east.

Bing and Ding belong to fire; Bing is yang and Ding is yin; they are located in the south.

Wu and Ji belong to earth; Wu is yang and Ji is yin; they are located in the center.

Geng and Xin belong to metal; Geng is yang and Xin is yin; they are located in the west.

Ren and Gui belong to water; Ren is yang and Gui is yin; they are located in the north.

2. Yin and yang of the twelve Earthly Branches

Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, and Xu are yang branches; Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, and Hai are yin branches.

According to the theory that among the Five Elements wood and fire are yang and metal and water are yin, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, and Wei are yang in nature, and Shen, You, Xu, Hai, Zi, and Chou are yin in nature.

3. Yin and yang of the eight trigrams

Qian, Kan, Gen, and Zhen are yang; Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui are yin.

4. According to differences of yin and yang, there are the Three Primes (Sanyuan) dragons: the Heaven Prime dragon, the Human Prime dragon, and the Earth Prime dragon.

Heaven Prime dragon: yang—Qian, Kun, Gen, Xun; yin—Zi, Wu, Mao, You.

Earth Prime dragon: yang—Jia, Geng, Ren, Bing; yin—Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei.

Human Prime dragon: yang—Yin, Shen, Si, Hai; yin—Gui, Ding, Yi, Xin.

7. The River Chart

One and six share an ancestor, as water, in the north; two and seven share a path, as fire, in the south;

three and eight are companions, as wood, in the east; four and nine are friends, as metal, in the west;

five and ten share a road, as earth, in the center.

The numbers one and six belong to water in the River Chart's Five Elements.

The numbers two and seven belong to fire in the River Chart's Five Elements.

The numbers three and eight belong to wood in the River Chart's Five Elements.

The numbers four and nine belong to metal in the River Chart's Five Elements.

The numbers five and ten belong to earth in the River Chart's Five Elements.

However, the River Chart is the substance and the Luo Writing is the function. The River Chart's numerical Five Elements are generally used only for unchanging features of the environment, such as the floor number or the number of rooms in a house.

8. The Luo Writing

Legend has it that in ancient times a divine turtle appeared from the Luo River bearing a diagram on its back. Yu the Great, in controlling the floods, relied on the “Luo Writing” and drew up the “Nine Categories” to govern the realm.

The Luo Writing diagram is a directional chart of high antiquity, derived by transformation from the River Chart. The numbers one to nine represent the Nine Palaces and the Nine Stars. Of the nine numbers, nine is due south, corresponding to the Li trigram and symbolizing the turtle's head; one is due north, corresponding to the Kan trigram and symbolizing the turtle's tail; three and seven are the left and right sides of the turtle's body; two and four are its two front legs; six and eight are its two hind legs; and five is in the center.

The eight trigrams of the Luo Writing are the Later-Heaven Bagua: Li and Kan take the place of Qian and Kun as the functioning of heaven and earth; fire rises and water descends. Understood in terms of nature, yang qi rises and yin qi descends. Living fire under the ground is warmth; thunder, being Zhen, moves; Kan on the ground concentrates and evaporates; Li is the sun shining everywhere. Xun (wind) and Gen (mountain) connect with heaven above and with earth below, linking heaven with natural phenomena. Hence the southeast has many lakes and marshes, which evaporate constantly, and much wind; the lakes and marshes have their source in the west, and water flows from the southwest toward the east. The southwest and northwest are the positions of honor, occupied by Qian and Kun. Qian, heaven, pure yang, draws in all the yin qi of earth, so the sky above is cold; Kun, earth, pure yin, takes in all the yang qi of heaven, so the heart of the earth is intensely hot. Thus heaven and earth commune in peace and transform and give birth to all things.

In the Luo Writing, the odd number five is in the center, with one in the north, three in the east, seven in the west, and nine in the south, while the even numbers occupy the four corners. Starting from the northeast, eight, three, four, and nine are the same as the numbers in the horizontal row of the River Chart, and two, seven, six, and one are the same as the numbers in its vertical column. Each pair of opposite numbers adds up to ten, in agreement with the River Chart. So the opposite pairs summing to ten in the Luo Writing are the basis of the Great Xuankong theory of prosperous wealth.

The River Chart: the data it represents are one and six in the north, as water; two and seven in the south, as fire; three and eight in the east, as wood; four and nine in the west, as metal; five and ten in the center, as earth. The River Chart mnemonic: one and six share a palace, two and seven share a path, three and eight are companions, four and nine are friends, five and ten share a road. The Luo Writing: the data it represents are nine worn on the head and one trodden underfoot, three on the left and seven on the right, two and four as the shoulders, six and eight as the feet, and five in the center. Analyzing the data of the Luo Writing, it evolved from the River Chart. If the River Chart is a miniature of the structure of the universe, then the Luo Writing is a miniature of the physical features of the earth.

9. The Twenty-Four Mountains, the Trigram Positions, and Their Directions

1. The Qian trigram governs the three mountains Xu, Qian, and Hai, located in the northwest. Houses sitting in Hai facing Si, sitting in Qian facing Xun, or sitting in Xu facing Chen are collectively called Qian houses.

2. The Kan trigram governs the three mountains Ren, Zi, and Gui, located due north. Houses sitting in Ren facing Bing, sitting in Zi facing Wu, or sitting in Gui facing Ding are collectively called Kan houses.

3. The Gen trigram governs the three mountains Chou, Gen, and Yin, located in the northeast. Houses sitting in Chou facing Wei, sitting in Gen facing Kun, or sitting in Yin facing Shen are collectively called Gen houses.

4. The Zhen trigram governs the three mountains Jia, Mao, and Yi, located due east. Houses sitting in Jia facing Geng, sitting in Mao facing You, or sitting in Yi facing Xin are collectively called Zhen houses.

5. The Xun trigram governs the three mountains Chen, Xun, and Si, located in the southeast. Houses sitting in Chen facing Xu, sitting in Xun facing Qian, or sitting in Si facing Hai are collectively called Xun houses.

6. The Li trigram governs the three mountains Bing, Wu, and Ding, located due south. Houses sitting in Bing facing Ren, sitting in Wu facing Zi, or sitting in Ding facing Gui are collectively called Li houses.

7. The Kun trigram governs the three mountains Wei, Kun, and Shen, located in the southwest. Houses sitting in Wei facing Chou, sitting in Kun facing Gen, or sitting in Shen facing Yin are collectively called Kun houses.

8. The Dui trigram governs the three mountains Geng, You, and Xin, located due west. Houses sitting in Geng facing Jia, sitting in You facing Mao, or sitting in Xin facing Yi are collectively called Dui houses.

9. The Prior-Heaven Bagua and the Later-Heaven Bagua

Tradition holds that the eight trigrams were drawn by Fuxi. The Prior-Heaven Bagua comes from the River Chart. It is viewed standing upright, looking south, ordered with heaven in the south and earth in the north: at the top is heaven, Qian; at the bottom is earth, Kun; on the left is east, Li; on the right is west, Kan.

The Later-Heaven Bagua was drawn by King Wen. It comes from the Luo Writing. The Later-Heaven Bagua is laid flat on the ground and viewed from north to south, with Li at the top and Kan at the bottom, Zhen on the left and Dui on the right.

10. The Nine Palaces directional chart of the Luo Writing

The Luo Writing combined with the Later-Heaven Bagua is the most widely used chart today: 4 Xun, 9 Li, 2 Kun, 3 Zhen, 5 Central Palace, 7 Dui, 8 Gen, 1 Kan, 6 Qian. The Luo Writing combined with the Prior-Heaven Bagua: 4 Dui, 9 Qian, 2 Xun, 3 Li, 5 Central Palace, 7 Kan, 8 Zhen, 1 Kun, 6 Gen. The Nine Palace numbers and the eight trigrams: One White, Kan—north, water, the three mountains Ren, Zi, and Gui. Two Black, Kun—southwest, earth, the three mountains Wei, Kun, and Shen. Three Jade, Zhen—east, wood, the three mountains Jia, Mao, and Yi. Four Green, Xun—southeast, wood, the three mountains Chen, Xun, and Si. Five Yellow, Central Palace—center, Wu and Ji earth. Six White, Qian—northwest, metal, the three mountains Xu, Qian, and Hai. Seven Red, Dui—west, metal, the three mountains Geng, You, and Xin. Eight White, Gen—northeast, earth, the three mountains Chou, Gen, and Yin. Nine Purple, Li—south, fire, the three mountains Bing, Wu, and Ding.

11. The Twenty-Four Mountains: The Twenty-Four Mountains comprise the eight stems, the four corners, and the twelve Earthly Branches. The eight stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui (because Wu and Ji, earth, occupy the center, only eight of the ten Heavenly Stems remain among the Twenty-Four Mountains). The four corners: Qian, Kun, Gen, Xun (the Twenty-Four Mountains do not include Kan, Zhen, Li, or Dui). The twelve Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai.

On the luopan they run in order: the Kan mountains Ren, Zi, Gui; the Gen mountains Chou, Gen, Yin; the Zhen mountains Jia, Mao, Yi; the Xun mountains Chen, Xun, Si; the Li mountains Bing, Wu, Ding; the Kun mountains Wei, Kun, Shen; the Dui mountains Geng, You, Xin; and the Qian mountains Xu, Qian, Hai.

12. The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions: These are the celestial regions along the ecliptic and the celestial equator. 1. The seven mansions of the Azure Dragon of the east: Jiao (Horn), Kang (Neck), Di (Root), Fang (Room), Xin (Heart), Wei (Tail), Ji (Winnowing Basket). 2. The seven mansions of the Vermilion Bird of the south: Jing (Well), Gui (Ghost), Liu (Willow), Xing (Star), Zhang (Extended Net), Yi (Wings), Zhen (Chariot). 3. The seven mansions of the White Tiger of the west: Kui (Legs), Lou (Bond), Wei (Stomach), Mao (Hairy Head), Bi (Net), Zi (Turtle Beak), Shen (Three Stars). 4. The seven mansions of the Black Tortoise of the north: Dou (Dipper), Niu (Ox), Nü (Girl), Xu (Emptiness), Wei (Rooftop), Shi (Encampment), Bi (Wall).