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Chapter 12 of 12
葬经翼
Mountains are firm, waters are soft—the two depend on each other and seek one another ⛰️🌊. The art of geomancy delights in the convergence and fusion of mountain and water, and abhors the imprisonment and direct discharge of watercourses. Observe the shi (momentum) from afar, examine the xing (form) up close—all beauties then reveal themselves: when momentum arrives, all things gather; when form settles, vital qi congeals. Sometimes like a soaring dragon 🐉, sometimes like a galloping horse 🐎, ten thousand water channels rush together, the momentum of all mountains descends as one. Lofty peaks pierce the heavens—these are the ancestor mountains, inspiring awe and trepidation when beheld. A grand layout achieves grand bearing, standing honored above the multitude of mountains; a modest layout achieves modest bearing, yet possesses its own charm nonetheless.
The nature of all things is to carry yin on the back while embracing yang to the front. The yin back governs death and decay; the yang front governs prosperity and growth. Facing yang causes vital qi to gather; facing away from yang causes vital qi to scatter and dissipate.
The facing direction is like the mouth and face; the back side represents degeneration and escape. Only the mouth obtains nourishment; the rear cannot receive refinement. Better to be a chicken's beak than a cow's hindquarters—if the facing and backing deviate but a hairsbreadth, the error becomes immense.
When yang rotates leftward, yin must return to the right; when yin turns leftward, yang follows to the right as well. Yin and yang circle in mutual response, like a ring with no beginning or end.
In yang places there are hollows; in yin places there are ridges. Two opposing flanks form the standard. Investigate thoroughly the transformations within—this is the unchanging law set by the Creator.
When yin arrives, yang stops it; when yang arrives, yin supports it. A hairsbreadth of difference, and fortune reverses to misfortune entirely ⚖️.
When the vein comes from the left, it concentrates in gathering on the right; when from the right, it settles on the left. At the point of entry, one must carefully examine the vein path—vital qi returns to the place where it ceases and gathers.
Qi travels within the earth, necessarily accompanying water in its course. Depth and shallowness must seize the momentum—the mingtang provides the standard of reference.
If the terrain is elevated, enclosure and harboring are paramount—the very meaning of burial (zang) is "to conceal"; if wind strikes it, qi cannot be stored 🌬️.
If the terrain converges below, obtaining water is essential. Water arrives and wind departs—only then does vital qi fuse and prosper.
Metal and wood stand together; fire and metal share substance. Bury at their point of convergence, pressing close to living qi and casting away dead qi. Vital qi is subtle and overarching, concealed within the infinitesimal, moving yet not manifest—thus it is said to be difficult to know.
Nests, pincers, breasts, and protrusions are forms of dynamic substance; acupoints are established accordingly. Forms not matching these are not genuine expressions. Pierced-elbow, leaking-cheek, taut-face grounds—do not seek acupoints there; cut-foot, broken-arm places—true qi does not arrive. Black Tortoise refusing the corpse—dead qi must not be approached.
Holding-corpse, envying-master, crushing-and-fleeing are all signs of calamity encroaching. Where there is convergence, one must seek union; where union is absent, leakage and dripping will result. The waters of shrimp's whiskers, crab's eyes, and golden fish are subtle and difficult to discern; three waters and four acupoints—how can they be spoken of uniformly? The body-hugging cicada-wing sands, one flank dark, one flank bright—where the waters converge, vital qi ceases. The mingtang should be slightly level, level enough for a person to lie down; if not level, qi will tilt and drain away. Ball-eave, ball-tassel—the philtrum must not deviate; straight ball and folded braces, the staff and pillow must suit each other in point and roundness. Urgency and gentleness require modulation; receiving and meeting should be upright. Investigate carefully the method of release and delivery—sleep in the moist place while resting upon the dry. The coffin and vein recline against one another; expansion and contraction follow naturally. Thus water insects do not arise, and the eight winds are at peace; the nine harms depart forever, and the five blessings gather of themselves. The artisan's mind perceives the profound and distant; ultimate principle is deep and mysterious. The essential meaning of surveying earth's patterns—cannot be spoken to those who have not achieved penetrating insight.
This chapter serves as the concluding piece of the Burial Classic Wings, comprehensively articulating the ultimate principles of burial site selection and acupoint determination. It can be distilled into the following core concepts:
| Core Principle | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Yin-Yang Mutual Seeking | Mountains firm, waters soft; yin arrives and yang stops it—everything is founded upon the convergence of yin and yang |
| Orientation Determines Fortune | "Better to be a chicken's beak than a cow's hindquarters"—orientation determines the gathering or dispersal of vital qi |
| Conceal from Wind, Obtain Water | Burial means "concealment"—sheltering from wind and gathering water are fundamental requirements |
| Seeking the Point in Subtlety | Vital qi is "subtle and overarching," "moving yet not manifest"—it must be discerned in the fine details |
| Form Methodology System | Nests, pincers, breasts, protrusions; shrimp's whiskers, crab's eyes, cicada wings, golden fish—forming a rigorous morphological system |
"Better to be a chicken's beak than a cow's hindquarters" — while originating from the Warring States strategists, this phrase gains entirely new geographical significance in the context of feng shui: select the acupoint at the front of the qi opening, not the backside of the airflow. In modern terms, this means choosing pivotal positions where energies converge, rather than marginal positions where energy dissipates. This aligns remarkably with the value judgments in modern urban location theory regarding "street-facing fronts" and "transportation nodes."
The principle of "sleep in the moist place while resting upon the dry" essentially requires the coffin to be placed in a position with appropriate groundwater conditions: neither overly damp (breeding water insects) nor excessively dry (causing bones to desiccate and crumble). In modern burial engineering, this corresponds to considerations of drainage design and moisture-proofing—the ancients summarized this need through direct empirical observation.
"The eight winds at peace" is a requirement for microclimatic conditions—the acupoint should be sheltered by surrounding mountain sands, avoiding wind from all eight directions. Modern building site selection similarly emphasizes wind environment comfort; excessively strong airflow causes heat loss and environmental discomfort, which has already been quantified in building physics.
The most profound philosophical proposition herein lies in the statement "Vital qi is in subtlety, moving yet not manifest—thus it is said to be difficult to know." This reveals a universal epistemological dilemma: the critical energy that determines success or failure usually operates at the most inconspicuous level. Feng shui defines "vital qi" as a subtle existence—not immediately apparent like mountain contours, nor clearly visible like watercourses, but concealed within the interface between form and momentum.
This resonates with the concept of "ji" (the incipient) in Chinese philosophy. The I Ching declares: "To know the incipient—is this not divine?" The difficulty of point selection lies not in mastering the rules, but in making correct judgments within the most subtle distinctions. This also responds to the closing reflection of the chapter: "cannot be spoken to those who have not achieved penetrating insight"—true Dao transcends words and rules, requiring intuitive understanding gained through long-term practice.
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