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Chapter 6 of 6
入地眼全书
The system of the Eight Dwellings Zhou Classic has long been in circulation. Taking the eight trigrams — Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui — as the guiding scaffold, each trigram governs three mountain directions.
All mountains of Xu, Qian, and Hai belong to the Qian Dwellings; all mountains of Ren, Zi, and Gui belong to the Kan Dwellings; all mountains of Chou, Gen, and Yin belong to the Gen Dwellings; all mountains of Jia, Mao, and Yi belong to the Zhen Dwellings; all mountains of Chen, Xun, and Si belong to the Xun Dwellings; all mountains of Bing, Wu, and Ding belong to the Li Dwellings; all mountains of Wei, Kun, and Shen belong to the Kun Dwellings; all mountains of Geng, You, and Xin belong to the Dui Dwellings. This system is known as the Linked Mountains Hexagrams.
It is rooted in the principle of correlative opposition between yin and yang, circulating the seasonal turns of waxing and waning vital force. When principle is complete, vital force is replete, and thereby the work of transformation becomes truly wondrous.
The eight trigrams are divided into two groups: Qian, Kun, Dui, and Gen constitute the Western Four Dwellings, whose three auspicious directions all lie on the right side; therefore inner doors, corridors, and stoves must never breach against the directions of the Eastern Four Trigram group. Kan, Li, Xun, and Zhen constitute the Eastern Four Dwellings, whose three auspicious directions all lie on the left side; therefore inner doors, corridors, and stoves must never breach against the directions of the Western Four Trigram group.
As for the main gate, it must be chosen with the greatest care among the three auspicious directions. When yin and yang are properly matched, the household will multiply and thrive in prosperity. Thus it is said that the principle of Qian and Kun holding their fixed positions in the Former Heaven sequence is precisely the vital force of Kan and Li complete in union in the Later Heaven sequence — this is the imperishable Way of the River Chart and Luo Writing, clearly verifiable for all to see.
The framework of wandering stars employs the Seven Governors augmented by the Nine Radiances. Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Records Store, Literary Song, Purity Chastity, Martial Melody, and Broken Army constitute the names of the Seven Governors; with the addition of Left Assistant and Right Support, they together form the Nine Radiances, corresponding to the stars Vital Energy, Heavenly Healer, Extended Years, Severed Destiny, Five Ghosts, Calamity Harm, Six Obstructors, and Reclining Position. Among these there are further methods such as the Bamboo Segments Piercing the Well and the Essential Directives of Palace-Star Generation and Conquest, recorded in detail below. With the completion of these, the art of dwelling methods may be said to hold nothing further in reserve.
Qian: Six, Heaven, Five, Calamity, Severed, Extended, Vital. Kan: Five, Heaven, Vital, Extended, Severed, Calamity, Six. Gen: Six, Severed, Calamity, Vital, Extended, Heaven, Five. Zhen: Extended, Vital, Calamity, Severed, Five, Heaven, Six. Xun: Heaven, Five, Six, Calamity, Vital, Severed, Extended. Li: Six, Five, Severed, Extended, Calamity, Vital, Heaven. Kun: Heaven, Extended, Severed, Vital, Calamity, Five, Six. Dui: Vital, Calamity, Extended, Severed, Six, Five, Heaven.
The first character of each line designates the dwelling's own trigram, called the Reclining Position; the following seven characters give the dispersal order of the Seven Governors' wandering stars.
Among the Seven Governors, Vital Energy, Heavenly Healer, and Extended Years are the Three Auspicious. The directions of the Three Auspicious are fitting for opening gates, positioning stoves, selecting rooms, and placing beds — yet the choice of main gate is of paramount importance.
Severed Destiny is the most perilous, Five Ghosts the next, with Calamity Harm and Six Obstructors following after — together called the Four Malefics. The directions of the Four Malefics must still be considered in conjunction with the trigram positions and terrain; only then can their weight be distinguished. For example, though Severed Destiny is malefic, only when it conquers the dwelling itself may it be considered truly harmful; if it generates the dwelling, maintains parity with the dwelling, or is conquered by the dwelling, then its harmful nature is greatly diminished.
From the main gate the wandering stars are initiated, counting toward the first structure on the facing side, entering against the order of generation, to distinguish which structure gains the Three Auspicious and deserves heightening, and which encroaches the Four Malefics and deserves suppression.
If the main gate opens at the precise center, then the gate itself constitutes the first frontmost weight. If the main gate is offset to one side, count the leading structure from the location of the gate, then enter against the generating order.
Static Dwellings do not employ the Bamboo Segments Piercing the Well method. Only Mobile Dwellings, Change Dwellings, and Transform Dwellings employ it.
Take the sequential order of the five phases generating one another: Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal — thus each successive structure generates its follower. Below, one configuration is given for each as a model.
Structures numbering three through five, without walls dividing them, are Mobile Dwellings. For example, a Kan dwelling opening a Li gate: the gate holds Extended Years Metal star, the second structure holds Six Obstructors Water malefic, the third holds Vital Energy Wood auspicious.
If the gate opens from a lateral corner — such as a Kan dwelling opening a Xun gate — then apply the "Xun: Heaven, Five, Six" method. From the Xun gate toward the Li direction, the Heavenly Healer auspicious star constitutes the first structure, belonging to Earth; it generates the second structure, Extended Years Metal auspicious; the third structure is Six Obstructors Water malefic. This is the Mobile Dwelling five-phase generation method.
the sixth and seventh structures comprise the Change Dwelling. What "change" means is that the five-phase generation reaches its extremity and transformation occurs. Though Five Ghosts Fire generates Calamity Harm Earth, it does not generate Heavenly Healer Earth; though Heavenly Healer Earth generates Extended Years Metal, it does not generate Severed Destiny Metal; Calamity Harm Earth generates Severed Destiny Metal, yet does not generate Extended Years Metal. Auspicious stars generating auspicious stars and malefic stars generating malefic stars — this is the constant principle. Only Six Obstructors Water singly generates Greedy Wolf Wood, and Greedy Wolf Wood singly generates Five Ghosts Fire, which is likewise constant principle.
Within a Change Dwelling, the first five structures follow the constant method of generation; but arriving at the sixth and seventh structures, transformation occurs: Five Ghosts Fire generates Heavenly Healer Earth, then Heavenly Healer Earth turns to generate Severed Destiny Metal instead, and Calamity Harm Earth turns to generate Extended Years Metal instead — thus it is called "Change."
For example, a Kan dwelling opening a Xun gate employs the "Xun: Heaven, Five, Six" method: The first weight from the gate is Heavenly Healer Earth auspicious, the second is Extended Years Metal auspicious, the third is Six Obstructors Water malefic, the fourth is Vital Energy Wood greatly auspicious, the fifth is Five Ghosts Fire malefic — arriving at the sixth, Heavenly Healer Earth auspicious — this is malefic Fire generating auspicious Earth. The seventh is Severed Destiny Metal malefic — this is auspicious Earth turning to generate malefic Metal. After the fifth structure, auspicious changes to malefic and malefic changes to auspicious: this is the Change Dwelling generative method.
Structures numbering eight and nine comprise the Transform Dwelling. What "transform" means is that the final structure is the Assistant which, with the star born of the Support, transforms according to the gate. Its method employs paired Wood, paired Metal, and paired Earth advancing together, so as to consummate the functions of the Nine Stars — Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Records Store, Literary Song, Purity Chastity, Martial Melody, Broken Army, Left Assistant, and Right Support. Static, Mobile, and Change Dwellings all lack the Assistant and Support stars, being designated only Seven Governors, distinct from the Transform Dwelling.
For example, a Kan dwelling opening a Xun gate, comprising nine structures entirely, also employs the "Xun: Heaven, Five, Six" method: From the main gate, counting to the first weight is Heavenly Healer Earth, secondary auspicious. The second is Calamity Harm Earth — this is the paired Earth — malefic. The third is Severed Destiny malefic. The fourth is Extended Years — this is the paired Metal — auspicious. The fifth is Six Obstructors Water, lacking auspiciousness. The sixth is Vital Energy Wood, greatly auspicious. The seventh is Left Assistant Wood — this is the paired Wood — secondary auspicious. The eighth is Five Ghosts Fire, malefic. The ninth is Right Support — the original Xun gate being Vital Energy Wood, this Right Support likewise becomes Vital Energy Wood, greatly auspicious.
Should there be only eight weights, then the Right Support, being Vital Energy Wood, is greatly auspicious. This is the Transform Dwelling generative method.
This chapter systematically expounds the theoretical foundation and operational framework of the Eight Dwellings school of yang-dwelling geomancy. The condensed core ideas are as follows:
Eight trigrams governing three mountains; orientation determines the dwelling body: The twenty-four mountains are subsumed into eight dwellings, each covering three directions, so that orientation assessment becomes both simplified and systematic. This is a method of thinking that brings "category" to govern "image" — integrating the multifarious dimensions of space into the abstract framework of the eight trigrams.
Eastern and Western four dwellings; fortune and misfortune assigned to fixed directions: Taking Qian, Kun, Gen, and Dui as Western Four Dwellings, and Kan, Li, Xun, and Zhen as Eastern Four Dwellings, each has its own three auspicious directions. Inner doors, corridors, and stoves must avoid crossing into the opposite trigram group; the main gate must likewise be chosen from the Three Auspicious. This conceptually divides space into two systems of "shared vital force" and "differing vital force," emphasizing the principle that like vital forces seek one another, and differing vital forces repel.
Seven Governors, Nine Radiances; generation and conquest ratify fortune and misfortune: The Nine Radiances, comprised of Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Records Store, Literary Song, Purity Chastity, Martial Melody, and Broken Army plus Assistant and Support, correspond to the stars Vital Energy, Heavenly Healer, Extended Years, Severed Destiny, Five Ghosts, Calamity Harm, Six Obstructors, and Reclining Position. Three Auspicious and Four Malefics operate; the weight of fortune or misfortune is determined through the principle of generation and conquest — only when Severed Destiny conquers the dwelling is it truly malefic; should it generate the dwelling or be in parity with it, its harmfulness declines considerably. This applies the generative-conquest principle of the five phases as a judgment framework governing the relationship between stars and dwellings.
Bamboo Segments Piercing the Well; sequential structures analyzed by generation and conquest: Interior-depth layouts are judged one structure by one, using the successive generation of the five phases to determine the propitious or harmful attribute of each. Mobile Dwellings are limited to three to five structures; Change Dwellings transform at the sixth and seventh as the five phases reach the end of their generative range; Transform Dwellings at eight or nine structures introduce Assistant and Support forces to consummate the Nine Radiances. This integrates architectural depth into temporal sequencing, composing a spatial narrative that simulates extension through "process."
The essence of the eight-dwelling classification is the segregation of spatial vital-field zoning: Anciently separated dwellings into eight classes by orientation, each having particular configurations of auspicious and inauspicious directions. Placed in the modern context, this may be understood as recognizing that residences under different orientations evince systematic variations in lighting, ventilation, temperature, humidity, and other physical-environmental conditions. That Eastern Four Dwellings favor openings on the east side, Western Four on the west, may be considered a plain empirical distillation in ancient times about solar exposure and monsoon direction.
Practical rationale of the Three Auspicious and Four Malefics: Vital Energy, Heavenly Healer, and Extended Years directions suit positioning gates, stoves, and beds, while Severed Destiny, Five Ghosts, Calamity Harm, and Six Obstructors directions should be suppressed and minimally utilized. This suite of practices amounts, essentially, to optimizing the functional zoning of residences — aligning primary living functions with the contexts most free-flowing, placing auxiliary programs and storage in the relatively disadvantageous directions. Contemporary principles in interior design such as distinguishing "dynamic zones" from "static zones" and according "primary bedrooms premium daylight allowance" work much the same spirit.
The Bamboo Segment Piercing the Well method is a model of degraded vital force in depth-wise construction: Traditional compounds rise one courtyard after another in depth-wise sequence; daylight, ventilation, and privacy diminish correspondingly in each succeeding depth. The Bamboo Segment method assigns fortune or misfortune to each structure using five-phase generation—decreting those apt for greater height build high, those apt for suppression keep low. This, in truth, constitutes methodical regulation of spatial cadence and functional hierarchy in architectural clusters, and accords well with modern spatial-ordering ideas, as expressed in "lower in front, higher at back" and "hall at front, chamber at rear."
The Change and Transform Dwellings embody the dialectic of "things reaching extremes reverse": That after five structures fortune mutates to misfortune and misfortune to fortune reveals the ancients' awareness that matters inevitably reverse as they reach a stage. This hardly mystifies; rather, it records the transformation of materially different environment in structures of exceptional length — at a certain depth in overly long households, environmental conditions in front and back truly do undergo elemental changes.
Reference for selecting house orientation and main-gate placement: Through the Eight House method, determine the occupant trigram of a house by its orientation (East or West), then open the gate in favorable locations among the three auspicious positions. Modern home buyers or builders can optimize the grand entrances, avoiding directions dangerous such as Severed Destiny and Five Ghosts locales.
Interior functional zoning: Let the major programs — master bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens — take positions of the Three Auspicious. Confine secondary/latrines/storage under lesser assigned realms of Four Malefics. It squares with current design tenets in zoning prime benefits as priority placements.
Spatial cadence programming for deep plans: Due consultation for villas, townhomes, walky gated multiple courts can accord proper increase/decrease in storey-wise weights per Bamboo Segment classification—arranging principal room masses against support utilities in cadence.
The generative approach to clarify true malignant force: Though severance indicates hazard, the danger makes no claim without a deeper connection—for only when one House conquers itself is malignancy charged; allies or mutuality will minimize this qualifier. Reminding one in real assessment, hasty conformity invalid: calibration runs specific; since interdependence says force per context qualifies judgment. Yet still could its correction facilitate chastising by black-or-white dictum, helping those simplified from modern criticism.
Opposition of yin and yang with waxing and waning: For Linked Mountains hexagrams precludes seeing opposition/balsom yin-yang as fundamental in which spatial realms yield phenomenal tokens to different tempos or traits. That principles assess all hazard more like resolution moderation— yet none purely sufficient, in accordance for "one yin, one yang for Way" derived lineage.
The unity of Earlier & Later Heaven: Wait that Former Arrangement stand up determinacy separately through Heaven's Force, while operation works completion occurs only through latter; essence posits hard/worm first shape—operation actualized via—mixes time and tool onto realization; complementarity incomplete; neither exclusivity free passage—such ineffable proves **"Being vs Force" being all time relational according".
Relativeness & Conditional for malefic scales: Heavens within have severe mark of certain yet not pure single unconditional sign—if generated favors host / coupled and less destructive held realm moderated considering relationship itself directly: harming powers cannot exhaust self-competition matrix through all configurative semas; none shall take no condition immutably judging to absolute terms given context–parameters.
**Contained instructions of Change-Transform **Yet core bearing in visible formulations — "malefic fire yields prosperous soil," upon reverse grain for Good Earth churns yields ill; Pair wood/gold/soil advance in balanced march: mirrors Chinese dialect, progression yields critical transformational evolutionary thrust—mapping nuance reality into old Chinese deliberation patterned for general open systems through becoming. So to exhaust–Whenever single road ripens in reversal its next; applies itself using locus–re-act-placement so a feasible of non-residual.
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Eight House Zhou Classic (Bazhai Zhou Shu) | Corpus primarily integrates tenets anchoring eight-house branch of Feng Shui; superimposes eight trigrams over twenty-four mountains; divides people East/West aligned pairs with fortune-star evaluation per scheme adherence |
| Linked Mountains Suite / 連山卦 Used representing naming attachment expressing connection-in-extended continuity combined in mountain-subordinates lines orientation—invoking exact standing equivalences representative lines on hills assignment—from array linking antiquity Shan 'Yi' official. Between equivalences detailed connection designates geographical spatial arrays considered as held ancient | |
| -- specifically structural thought. |
| Assistant/Right radical support / Nine Radiances /游星九曜 Combine (various determinants above, below align categories): greedy chalking/standing / records list / pattern literature singing / keep honing consistent… paired addendum expansions yielding scale alignment: associated six (七政) double as Good Time, Physician’s Shield for year’s sustainable / Cut(off)|unavoidable in exacted ordering equal balanced named components order marked (vita/e.).|
| **Eastern Four / Western</ - dichotomy partition scheme directing pro construction association partitions between classes essentially against not used generic common interface: see operative placement distinguishing setup.
| Pierced Bamboo Lines=Conduct layered mapping set, advancement made progressive / use same discipline degrees for height** / classify bldg weights row / define variet segment group**
Three categories — Move / Transf base… spatial|]
OriginalGiven use frame on terms on proper applied classify basic breadth type sets otherwise grouped ordering (五層/Ｈ分).
Move Dwell *Static flow includes=Zero? means gate count; changes+.
X=; multi household composition
| position 住 re-posing table marks point equilibrium starting pattern to positional orders within right arrays of room categories via comparative fixed conditions assignment *
視構Environmental Architecture: Scoping traditional octet ideological system reveal hidden ancient long-season aspect architecture outlook patterned daylight + monsoon orientation latent matches through statistical confidence better results toward function / sunshine ratios outcome.
Perspectives Spatial narratives: Bamboo Longitudinal rating as progression/block sequence system reading transition/metaphor of directional relative: held sympathetic toward Western "places/sensations via origin meaningly sequence mapping progress/disjuncture at rank--like core character identity sequential from rank.
**Habitat‘住人間/occupancy circle” theories representative> combines humanity/interlink outcomes treating classical binary multi as “initial multidiscipline heuristic for structuring habitation.”
Their geomancy had multiple early attempts rendering common mapping through live macro-unit holistic design using categories across orientation-plus infrastructure layering base lineage useful approximation toward ecological/comprehensive hybrid systems design units
Methods evolving qualitative+quant criteria adaptation model computations determine main scoring correlation matrices produce transparent model(s) achieving "coordinates as guide assisting settlement planning—genuinely applying design-logical pathways old knowledge to technological consult well aligns essential added** fields cross support work orientation in measurement approach — user data orientation. Integrating ancient through systematic module concretizes **heritage evolving useful to applied research.
[Proceed translating table]