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Chapter 3 of 3
宅经
In all cases of building walls or constructing houses, one must avoid directions where earthly qi clashes, otherwise disaster will surely befall the household; one should perform remedial rituals according to the proper methods.
In the first month, earthly qi clashes with the Ding-Wei direction; in the second month, the Kun direction; in the third month, the Ren-Hai direction; in the fourth month, the Xin-Xu direction; in the fifth month, the Qian direction; in the sixth month, the Yin-Jia direction; in the seventh month, the Gui-Chou direction; in the eighth month, the Gen direction; in the ninth month, the Bing-Si direction; in the tenth month, the Chen-Yi direction; in the eleventh month, the Xun direction; in the twelfth month, the Shen-Geng direction.
The following diagrams and formulas are all precise and detailed; careful observation will surely allow one to avoid misfortune. 🏗️
Tianmen (Heavenly Gate) is the head of yang; it should be level and solid, not overly tall or imposing. Violating this harms the household head, bringing major illness and afflictions of the head and neck. [Repair on Ding and Ren days of the fifth month for auspiciousness; in the north, avoid Ren-Zi and Ding-Si days]
Hai is the Vermilion Bird, Dragon Head, and the life-seat of the father. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is. [Repair on Ding and Ren days of the third month]
Ren is Great Disaster and the mother's life-seat. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing sudden calamities and disputes. [Repair same as Hai]
Zi is Death and Mourning, the Dragon's Right Hand, and the life-seat of the eldest son's wife. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing loss of soul, eye injury, flooding disasters, and disputes. [Repair same as Ren]
Gui is Penal Prison, Gou Chen, and the life-seat of the second son's wife. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing disputes, litigation, and other calamities. [Repair on Ding and Ren days of the seventh month; the third month is also acceptable, but Gong and Yu surnames should not use the third month—the seventh month is auspicious]
Chou is Official Prison and the life-seat of the youngest son's wife. Violating it brings calamities of ghosts, thieves, fire, and strange phenomena. [Repair same as Gui]
The Guimen (Ghost Gate) ground should be solid and substantial; if sunken, thin, empty, or barren, it is inauspicious. Violating it brings calamities such as hemiplegia and swelling. [Repair on Jia and Si days of the eighth month for auspiciousness; in the east, avoid Jia-Zi and Ji-Si days]
Yin is Heavenly Punishment, Dragon's Back, Xuan Wu, and the life-seat of adopted sons' wives and the eldest daughter. Violating it brings harm to pregnancy, imprisonment, theft, and ruin. [Repair on Jia and Si days of the sixth month; Jiao surname should avoid the sixth month, the eleventh month is auspicious]
Jia is House Punishment and the life-seat of the second daughter and grandsons. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing illness of the head and various fractures to the household head. [Repair same as Yin]
Mao is the Dragon's Right Flank, Penal Prison, and the life-seat of the youngest daughter and granddaughters. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing fire disasters, breath congestion, injuries, and loss of soul. [Repair same as Yin]
Yi is the Serpent, Litigation Prison, and the life-seat of guests. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing strange phenomena, death, mourning, and disputes. [Repair on Si days of the tenth month for auspiciousness; the house should be low and small, and must not be built heavy]
Chen is the White Tiger, Dragon's Right Foot, governing litigation, and the life-seat of servants and livestock. Violating it brings calamities of fright, injury, lameness, cramping, and also terror. [Repair same as Yi]
The Fengmen (Wind Gate) should be level and open; it is named the Head of Fortune, with its back toward barrenness and its front toward prosperity. For all two residences, five surnames, and eight residences, it should not be tall, imposing, or blocked. It is also the yin-head of extreme yang. [Repair on Bing and Xin days of the eleventh month for auspiciousness; in the south, avoid Bing-Zi through Xin-Si days]
Si is Heavenly Fortune and the House Body, also called the House Axis. The classic says: To obtain office, repair the House Axis; it should be substantial and solid, and repairing it brings good fortune. [Repair on Bing and Xin days of the ninth month; only requires great effort and brings excellent results]
Bing is the Bright Hall, House Fortune; suitable for gates, cattle barns, and other structures. The classic says: Repair the Bright Hall, gain office and increased emolument with great auspiciousness; the whole family will be incomparably joyful. [Repair same as Si]
Wu is the Land of Good Fortune and Prosperity, the Dragon's Left Foot. The classic says: Repair Good Fortune and Prosperity, servants will line up in rows and the six livestock will thrive. It should be level and solid; avoid height and tortoise-head style halls. [Repair same as Si]
Ding is the Heavenly Granary. The classic says: If wealth and grain perish, repair the Heavenly Granary. It is suitable for storehouses and livestock, and being substantial, thick, tall, and expansive is auspicious. [Repair on Bing and Xin days of the first month; great effort brings great fortune]
Wei is the Heavenly Treasury; tall buildings and great halls where cattle, sheep, and servants reside will greatly multiply in numbers; granaries and latrines benefit. [Repair same as Ding]
The Renmen (Human Gate) is the Dragon's Intestine; it is suitable for placing horse and cattle stables. This position should be opened up and made thick and solid; it is also called the Fortune Sack; being heavy and solid is greatly auspicious. [Repair on Yi and Geng days of the second month]
Shen is the Stable Hall; placing cattle and horse shelters here governs matters of treasure, gems, gold, and jade. Being substantial, solid, and expansive is auspicious. The classic says: Repair the Jade Hall, wealth and money come from all directions, and the six livestock grow fat and strong.
Geng is House Virtue; suitable for gates, vehicle shelters, chicken roosts, and grain pounders. Being spacious, connected, magnificent, and clean is auspicious. [Repair same as Shen]
You is Great Virtue, the Dragon's Left Flank, and guest quarters; auspicious. The classic says: Repair Great Virtue, wealth and riches accumulate by the ten-thousand-fold; it is also called House Virtue and is suitable for the household head. [Repair same as Shen]
Xin is the Golden Coffer and Heavenly Well; suitable for gates and tall buildings with great halls. The classic says: Repair the Golden Coffer, great wealth and honor, suitable for profit, all affairs auspicious. Another classic says: When the Azure Dragon is strong and tall, wealth and honor are grand and heroic.
The Outer Xun position is suitable for gardens, ponds, and bamboo mats; if there are buildings, they should be level and thin.
The Outer Tian De (Heavenly Virtue) and Jade Hall positions are suitable for expansion and repair to make them substantial and solid—greatly auspicious. The classic says: Expand and expand again in the field of virtue, descendants for generations receive glory and joy. Only do not build tall or heavy structures.
The Outer Tian Cang (Heavenly Granary) and Tian Fu (Heavenly Treasury) positions do not tire of tall, substantial buildings; setting up gates, storehouses, cattle shelters, servant quarters, and vehicle shelters are all greatly auspicious. [In the south, expansion is auspicious]
The Outer Long Fu (Dragon's Belly) position is the same as the inner courtyard; placing cattle and horse pens here—also called the Fortune Sack—should be broad, thick, and solid for auspiciousness.
The Outer Kun is suitable for placing horse stables—auspicious. Placing heavy items and tall buildings here are also greatly auspicious.
The Outer Jade Hall courtyard is suitable for grand halls and quarters for sons and grandsons—auspicious. A reception hall means distinguished guests will come; if it is tall, substantial, expanded, or contains large cabinets and heavy structures, it attracts gold, jade, treasure, and silk, governs seals of office, and brings joy.
The Outer Great Virtue residence position is suitable for opening up, diligently repairing, and plastering to keep it new and clean—auspicious. Holding music and banquet gatherings here is auspicious. It is suitable for courtyards of descendants, women, and the like; it brings forth noble people, increases wealth and fortune, and raises virtue and prestige.
The Outer Golden Coffer and Azure Dragon positions are suitable for treasure houses, storage cellars, and granaries—auspicious. Tall buildings and great halls suit wealth and silk, and are also fitting for descendants to produce the wealthy and noble, with marriages connected to imperial relatives. Keep them always clean and pure, connected to groves of trees with lush flowers and dense foliage. 🌳
Qian is the Heavenly Gate, the yin-head of extreme yang, also called Turning from Barrenness Toward Prosperity. In this position, buildings connected and extended, tall, substantial, wide, and solid are auspicious. [Repair on Ding and Ren days of the fifth month for auspiciousness; in the north, avoid Ren-Zi and Ding-Si days]
Hai is Heavenly Fortune and the Dragon's Tail; suitable for placing pig pens, also called the House Axis. The classic says: To obtain office, repair the House Axis. It should be opened up and expanded—auspicious. [East of Hai, repair on Ding and Ren days of the third month for auspiciousness; Gong and Yu surnames should use the seventh month]
Ren is House Fortune and the Bright Hall; suitable for tall buildings and great halls, always kept clean and pure, and for gathering to study the classics and histories; also called the Seal and Ribbon Palace, suitable for wealth and emolument—greatly auspicious. [Repair same as Hai]
Zi is Good Fortune and Prosperity, the Dragon's Left Foot; suitable for cattle shelters. The classic says: Servants line up in rows, the six livestock thrive. Level and solid—auspicious. [Repair same as Hai]
Gui is the Heavenly Granary; establishing gates, guest quarters, and latrines here is auspicious. The classic says: If wealth and grain perish, repair the Heavenly Granary. Place the six livestock here; open up and make it tall and thick. [Repair on Ding and Ren days of the seventh month for auspiciousness]
Chou is the Heavenly Treasury; tall buildings, great halls, cattle, sheep, and servants residing here will multiply greatly; granaries and latrines are both auspicious. [Repair same as Gui]
Gen is the Ghost Gate, Dragon's Belly, and Fortune Sack; it should be thick, solid, and heavy—auspicious. If sunken or thin, poverty results. [Repair on Jia and Si days of the eighth month for auspiciousness; in the east, avoid Jia-Zi day]
Yin is the Jade Hall; suitable for vehicle and cattle shelters, governing matters of treasure, gems, gold, and jade. It should be opened up and expanded. The classic says: Repair the Jade Hall, wealth and money arrive from all directions, the six livestock grow fat and strong—greatly auspicious. [Repair on Jia and Si days of the sixth month for auspiciousness]
Jia is House Virtue; suitable for gates and grain pounders. Being spacious, connected, and magnificent is auspicious; being clean makes calamities naturally disappear. [Repair same as Yin]
Mao is Great Virtue, the Dragon's Flank, and guest quarters. The classic says: Repair Great Virtue, wealth and riches attain ten-thousand-fold. It is also called the House Master and governs virtue and prestige. [Repair same as Yin]
Yi is the Golden Coffer and Heavenly Well; suitable for tall buildings and great halls, kept clean and pure with diligent repair and plastering—especially increasing festive joy. [South of Mao, repair in the tenth month]
Chen is the Earthly Prison, the Azure Dragon's Left Hand, and the Three Origins; suitable for descendants and should be kept clean and pure. The classic says: When the Azure Dragon is strong and tall, wealth and honor are grand and heroic. [Repair same as Yi]
Xun is Wind; it should be level and stable, not blocked. Also called Before the Extreme Yang, Yin, turning from prosperity toward barrenness. It should be open, empty, and well-ventilated—greatly auspicious. [Repair on Bing and Xin days of the eleventh month for auspiciousness; in the south, avoid Bing-Zi day]
Si is the Vermilion Bird, Dragon Head, and the father's life-seat; wells should not be placed here. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing disputes, sudden calamities, vomiting blood, madness, and snakes and animals causing strange phenomena. [West of Si, repair on Bing and Xin days of the ninth month for auspiciousness; extending to the Wu direction, all Zhi-tone surnames should avoid it; the first, third, and fourth months are auspicious]
Bing is Great Disaster and the mother's life-seat; gates should not be placed here. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing sudden calamities and disputes. [Repair same as Si]
Wu is Death and Mourning, the Dragon's Right Hand, and the life-seat of the eldest son's wife. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing loss of soul, eye injury, heart pain, fire disasters, disputes, and cramping. [Repair same as Si]
Ding is Penal Prison, Gou Chen, and the life-seat of the second son's wife. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing disputes, litigation, sores, and illnesses. [West of Wu, repair on Bing and Xin days of the first month for auspiciousness; the Wei direction is auspicious for all five surnames]
Wei is Official Prison and the life-seat of the youngest son's wife. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing ghosts, fire sores, thunderbolts, thieves, weapons, bloodshed, death of livestock, family ruin, and dispersal. [Repair same as Ding]
Kun is the Human Gate and the life-seat of women; horse stables should not be placed here. Violating it brings hemiplegia and swelling. This ground should be barren, low, and thin—auspicious. [Repair on Yi and Geng days of the second month]
Shen is Heavenly Punishment, Dragon's Back, and the life-seat of the adopted son's wife and the eldest daughter. Violating it brings loss of soul, flank illness, punishments, imprisonment, breath congestion, and fire phenomena. [North of Shen, repair on Yi and Geng days of the twelfth month through You for auspiciousness; Shang surname should avoid the twelfth month; the fourth month is auspicious]
Geng is House Punishment and the life-seat of the second daughter's eldest grandson; gates should not be placed here. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing illness of the right flank, disputes, injury, and falls. [Repair same as Jia]
You is Penal Prison, the Dragon's Right Flank, and the life-seat of the youngest daughter's grandson. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing loss of soul, imprisonment, breath congestion, and fire phenomena. [Repair same as Shen]
Xin is the Serpent, Litigation Prison, and the life-seat of guests. Violating it harms the person whose life-seat it is, bringing disputes, strange phenomena, death, mourning, and calamities. [West of You to Xu, repair on Yi and Geng days of the fourth month]
Xu is the White Tiger, Litigation Prison, the Dragon's Right Foot, and the life-seat of servants and livestock. Violating it brings lameness, hemiplegia, and cramping. [Repair same as Xin; from Qian moving clockwise to Xu, one complete cycle of twenty-four paths]
The Outer Qian courtyard, when repaired and expanded the same as the inner courtyard, made substantial and solid, with high mounds and great trees, is auspicious. It is fitting for the household head to enjoy extended longevity, with descendants' glory and emolument never ceasing, illuminating and glorifying the entire clan. The Qian ground should be broad and expansive.
The Outer Hai is the realm of Heavenly Fortune and the House Axis; suitable for large buildings, arranged in layers, deep and substantial—auspicious. Connected with House Fortune and the Bright Hall, substantial and solid, descendants will be intelligent and prosperous, gaining examination honors, seals, and ribbons—great wealth and nobility.
The Outer Heavenly Granary is suitable for tall, layered buildings, granaries, treasuries, storehouses, and quarters for servants and livestock—producing great increase and benefiting wealth, silk, and the five grains. This position should be high, clean, and expansive—auspicious.
The Outer Heavenly Treasury should be broad and substantial; women and descendants residing here is greatly auspicious. It is also called the Land of Wealth and Satiety; promotion and joy—all things are present here.
The Outer Dragon's Belly and Fortune Sack position should be piled solid like a mountain—auspicious. Connected far and near, with great trees and long mounds, never tiring of expansion—auspicious. If low, sunken, and without buildings, poverty and unrest result.
The Outer Jade Hall is suitable for daughters-in-law to reside in, bringing wealth, honor, and glory, with descendants flourishing for generations. If this position is grand and imposing, official rank rises swiftly, reaching the highest councils; treasures, silks, gold, and jade are abundant. If sunken, broken, and desolate, poverty and thinness result, and the family will drift to other lands.
The Outer House Virtue is suitable as a place for studying the arts and the Way; skills and crafts will be accomplished quickly, and fame will be gained, with people coming from a thousand li in all directions to admire, and the residents will become masters of teachers. Descendants dwelling here will be trustworthy, righteous, brave, and unrivaled.
The Outer Heavenly Virtue, Golden Coffer, and Azure Dragon—these three deities all favor thick and substantial matters, great buildings and tall halls, or reception rooms. Ministers and lords will feast and roam here; the entire household will be wealthy, flourishing, and eminent, relying on these three deities. Expansion is especially favored. If cold, thin, desolate, broken, or sunken, poverty results.
The Outer Azure Dragon never tires of cleanness; burning incense, setting out seats, and receiving guests will naturally bring eminent scholars and extraordinary people. Placing wells and water channels here is greatly auspicious. 💧
The second volume of the Zhai Jing (Classic of Dwellings) constructs a complete twenty-four-path system of auspicious and inauspicious positions for yang dwellings. Its core ideas can be summarized as:
The second volume of the Zhai Jing is essentially a summary of practical experience in yang-dwelling architectural planning from the pre-Qin through Han-Tang periods, encoding actual spatial-use wisdom in the language of spirits, calamities, and life-seats:
The correspondence between positions and family members can be understood as the spatial projection of the traditional patriarchal system. The eldest son's wife in the east, the second son's wife in the north, and the youngest son's wife in the northeast correspond internally to the palace-chamber system of the Book of Rites (Li Ji). Although modern family structures have changed, the spatial logic of "matching functional zones with users" remains valid.
The monthly taboo of "earthly qi clashes" is fundamentally about avoiding ground-breaking in specific directions during specific seasons. In traditional agricultural societies, temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and ground temperature varied across months, and the quality of excavation and foundation work indeed differed—breaking ground in the north during the first month encountered frozen soil, while in the south during the seventh month one faced torrential rains. Encoding this as "earthly qi clashes" is the ancients' deification of seasonal construction risks.
The Heavenly Gate should be level and the Wind Gate open corresponds to actual architectural principles: the northwest (Qian) is the direction of cold winter winds and should not have overly tall buildings blocking sunlight or forming wind tunnels; the southeast (Xun) is the entrance of warm, humid monsoon winds in summer, and keeping it unobstructed benefits ventilation and daylighting. What is called "yang-head of extreme yin" and "turning from barrenness toward prosperity" is in essence an empirical rule of orientation and climatic adaptation.
The connection between the "House Axis" and "office and emolument"—Si and Hai are the House Axis, and repairing them enables one to "obtain office." This formulation links residential integrity with career achievement, embodying the ancients' holistic view that "in a settled home, one finds joy in work": when the home is sturdy and complete, residents are physically and mentally at ease, which naturally benefits career development. This closely aligns with the modern environmental-psychology conclusion that "residential quality affects work performance."
Functional Zoning Reference: Map modern residential needs onto the twenty-four directions—the southwest (Kun) suits heavy items and can serve as a storage room; the southeast (Xun) suits openness and ventilation and works well as a courtyard or balcony; the northwest (Qian) suits stability and substance and can serve as a master bedroom or study. When these configurations coordinate with physical factors such as sunlight and ventilation, they genuinely improve living comfort.
Construction Timing Principles: Modern renovation need not adhere rigidly to star-deities, but "avoiding construction on critical orientations during extreme seasons" retains practical value. For example, northern winters are unsuitable for excavation on the west side (frozen precipitation), and southern plum-rain seasons are unsuitable for earthwork in the southeast orientation. Converting the ancients' monthly taboos into a seasonal construction-risk checklist effectively guides practical operations.
Matching Space with Family Roles: When elders live in the household, attention should be paid to sunlight, ventilation, and cleanliness in the northwest (Qian, Heavenly Gate, household head); with children present, attention should be paid to the solidity and stability of the northeast (Gen, youngest son). This is a modern application of transforming traditional "life-seats" into allocating spatial resources according to user needs.
Integration of Outer and Inner Courtyards: Chapter Two particularly emphasizes the coordinated construction of the "outer courtyard" and "inner courtyard," such as "the outer Qian courtyard should be built and expanded together with the inner courtyard" and "the outer Dragon's Belly and the inner courtyard should be treated as one." In modern residential design, this translates into a mindset of holistic planning of the building主体 and the surrounding garden environment, rather than focusing solely on the interior in isolation.
The most profound philosophical implication of Chapter Two of the Zhai Jing lies in its conception of the dwelling as a condensation of the yin and yang qi of heaven and earth within the human realm.
The twenty-four directions, the twelve spirits and omens, and the nine-star destinies—on the surface, they form an intricate system of prohibitions, yet in essence they answer a fundamental question: How should one situate one's dwelling between heaven and earth? Qian is the Gate of Heaven, Xun is the Gate of Wind, Kun is the Gate of Humanity, and Gen is the Gate of Spirits—these four gates delineate the sphere of human existence. Within the gates lies human habitation; beyond them flows the transformative energy of heaven and earth. Every position within the dwelling compound is an interface between humanity and the cosmos.
The phrase "turning away from the withered toward the flourishing" (bei ku xiang rong) is especially thought-provoking. Witheredness and flourishing are botanical metaphors, echoing the philosophy of generative life (sheng sheng) in the Zhou Yi. A good dwelling is not a static structure but a living organism in continuous growth. The Gate of Heaven should be level, and the Gate of Wind should be open—because a growing life needs to breathe; the Granary of Heaven should be elevated, and the Storehouse of Heaven should be substantial—because the nourishment of life requires accumulation. Cultivating one's dwelling is cultivating oneself; ordering one's dwelling is ordering one's life.
This resonates across a thousand years with the concept of the "living building" in contemporary ecological architecture—the notion that a building should breathe, adapt, and metabolize like a living organism. What the ancients expressed through spirits, omens, and zodiac destinies was, in fact, a朴素 intuition of spatial ecology.
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Twenty-Four Routes | The collective designation of the orientation system for yang dwellings, in which each of the eight trigrams and eight palaces governs three positions, totaling twenty-four directions, each assigned with spirits, destinies, and auspicious or inauspicious attributes |
| Zhai Ji | The positions of Si and Hai, representing the central axis line of the dwelling, governing career achievement, ideally sturdy and well-maintained |
| Ming Zuo | The correspondence of family members to specific directions, such as the father's seat (Hai/Si), the mother's seat (Ren/Bing), and the eldest son's wife's seat (Zi/Wu) |
| Five-Surname Eight-Dwelling | A dwelling-assessment system popular since the Han dynasty that classifies surnames by the Five Phases and matches dwellings accordingly, using the five tones (gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu) to correspond to the Five Phases |
| Gate of Heaven · Gate of Wind · Gate of Humanity · Gate of Spirits | The four corner positions of Qian, Kun, Xun, and Gen: northwest Qian as the Gate of Heaven (head of yang), southeast Xun as the Gate of Wind (head of fortune), southwest Kun as the Gate of Humanity (dragon's bowels), and northeast Gen as the Gate of Spirits (pouch of fortune) |
| Earth Qi | The periodic force of earth energy that moves by month; directions it conflicts with should not be disturbed by construction |
| Death and Mourning · Punishment and Prison · Penalty and Prison · Official Prison | Various inauspicious spirits, each corresponding to the consequences of offending different directions—in essence, a catastrophic description of spatial functional misallocation |
Environmental Psychology Perspective: Contemporary scholars such as Wang Qiheng have shown in their studies of traditional feng shui directional systems that the auspicious and inauspicious rules of the twenty-four directions embody empirical regulatory logic regarding sunlight, ventilation, temperature, humidity, and noise in the physical environment. For example, "the Xun wind should be open and vacant" corresponds to the natural ventilation needs of the southeast monsoon in summer.
Architectural Anthropology Perspective: The distribution of family space under the patriarchal clan system, codified in the Zhai Jing as "Ming Zuo," reflects spatial power structures—the patriarch resides at the Gate of Heaven (Qian), the eldest son at the East (Zhen), consistent with the hierarchical order of patriarchal society. Modern scholars such as Bai Chenxi point out that this spatial ethic serves as a crucial entry point for understanding the concept of "spatial justice" in traditional Chinese dwellings.
Ecological Architecture Perspective: Contemporary green architecture emphasizes passive design strategies (natural ventilation, shading, thermal mass). The Zhai Jing's rules—"the Gate of Heaven should be level and not overly prominent," "the Gate of Wind should be open and unobstructed," "the Granary of Heaven should be elevated and substantial," and "the Azure Dragon should be clean with water"—can be interpreted as a pre-scientific passive design guide whose core concerns are highly consistent with contemporary ecological architecture.