What is the feng shui Bagua and how do you define the bagua of your home? What are the feng shui bagua missing areas? What is Chi - Sheng Chi, Si Chi, and Sha Chi? What is a bagua mirror? Do you need a feng shui compass? What are the five feng shui elements? In this section find clear and simple explanation for most commonly used feng shui terms.



28 Xiu
28 Constellations divided into the 4 Celestial Animals.

8 House Bright Mirror
Guideline to 8 House School.

9 Stars
9 types of qi represented by the 9 numbers. The living spirits that influence our lives.

Annual stars
Visiting yearly stars to each of the eight palaces.

Application
Refers to the information required for the reading to do the analysis. Eg the formulas, eg mountain/water star.

Ba Gua
‘8 Phenomenon’ (or signs, symbols).

Ba Zhai Pai
8 House School based on House Trigram.

Bai Hu
White Tiger, located to the left of a building when facing it.

Bamboohead Daoist
Author of the 8 House Bright Mirror.

Bigram
Two-lined figure.

Bing
Yang Fire. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Body
Refers to the basic information about the site. Eg the forms, eg time star.

Bridge
An element introduced between two other elements to transform a controlling relationship into a productive relationship. eg fire to bridge wood and earth.

Castle Gate
The palace located on either side of the facing.

Castle Gate Theory
Theory to determine whether the Castle Gate is useful to replace the ruling star.

Central Palace
The location of the central stars of a chart and depicts the overall harmony of the chart.

The ~ also refers to the pole star around which revolves the 28 constellations which mark the four seasons and the four animals.

Chen
The Dragon. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Cheng qi
‘Inheriting qi,’ to receive qi from the Earth.

Chou
The Ox. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Chou Yao Huang Xiang
‘Chou’ means to ‘select’ ‘ Yao ’ means the line in the Trigram. ‘Huang’ is ‘change’ and ‘Shang’ is ‘image.’ A technique used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Chu Kai
‘Chaos’ in the beginning of time.

Connected Pearl Sequence
Consecutive numbers in each palace.

Da Gua Pai
A school of Feng Shui which uses the Xian Tian trigrams and Luo Shu numbers.

Da Xuan Kong
Feng Shui on the macro scale which uses only the Heaven Chart and the Earth Chart to view the Feng Shui for a city, town or country.

De Ling
Holding the power of the Ling Xing.

Di Li
Earth Theories. Feng Shui as known in the old days. Now a term for ‘geography.’

Di Pan
Earth Chart. The earth qi which is fixed, indicated by the Luo Shu.

Ding
Yin Fire. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Door Facing
The facing direction of the door (usually front door).

Dragon’s Vein
Artery of qi flowing from a mountain or across the landscape.

Du Yin Sha
Lone Yin Sha. Single tree in front of main external door.

Earth Chart
Di Pan. Basic, static chart with 5 in the centre tracing the Luo Shu path. This forms the basis of all charts. It is where the Hou Tian Ba Gua comes from. The 8 "countries" (meaning the 8 directions) are where the 8 different basic types of qi come from.

Facing
The yang side of a building.

Fan Yin
Mountain or water star 5 in the central palace flies backward.

Fei Xing
Flying Stars.

Feng Shui
‘Wind Water’.

Fire Mouth
Door/opening of stove.

Fu Mu San Ban Gua
Has different meanings and structures in different schools of Feng Shui. In Xuan Kong Fei Xing (Flying Stars), whenever the chart structure has the combinations 147, 258, 369.

Fu Wei
‘Crouching Position.’ One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Fu Xi
Prehistoric second emperor of China and founder of Xian Tian & Hou Tian Ba Gua (by popular opinion).

Fu Yin
Mountain or water star 5 in the central palace flies forward, Earth chart is repeated, no Yin Yang interaction.

Fu; Lu; Shou.
Popular Chinese deities representing Health; Wealth; Long Life. Also known as the Three Lucky Gods.

Geng
Yang Metal. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Gu Yang Sha
Lone Yang Sha. Electricity post in front of main external door.

Guest
The star being treated as the guest by the host star. The energy which is affecting or interacting with the Host. Eg When the earth chart and the heaven chart are compared, then the earth chart is the host and heaven chart is the guest.

Gui
Yin Water. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Hai
The Pig. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Han Dynasty
206 BC–220 AD

He Tu
Sequential pairs of elements forming the ‘birth’ of the 5 elements, 1 & 6 is water, 2 & 7 is fire, 3 & 8 is wood, 4 & 9 is metal. He Tu has more to do with space while Luo Shu has more to do with time.

He Tu Diagram
In the He Tu, 1 and 6 are in the north (at the bottom of the diagram), 2 and 7 are in the south, 3 and 8 are in the east, 4 and 9 are in the west while 5 and 10 are at the centre.

Heart Piercing Sha
Tall post in front of a main external door.

Heaven Chart
Chart in reference to the period star (Ling Xing); or in reference to the construction date.

Hexagram
Six-lined figure.

Ho
Chinese for the back door which should remain closed.

Host
The star being used in a particular area. eg a water star is used in a yang area. The subject in question. Eg when considering the qi at the front door, the water star is the host.

Hou Tian
Things acquired or modified after birth, often incorrectly translated as ‘Later Heaven’.

House Trigram
Trigram defined by the sitting direction of a building.

Huang Shi Gong
Yellow Rock Elder. Legendary author or keeper of the Cerulean satchel classic.

Huo Hai
Misfortune, mishap. One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Imprisoned ruling star
Water star located in the central palace.

Ji
Yin Earth. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems.

Jia
Yang Wood. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Jiang Liang
Used the books in the Qing Nan Jing to overthrow the Chin Emperor to establish the Han Dynasty.

Ju Men
‘Huge Door’ - ‘The Monarch of Sickness’, Star 2 in the Flying Stars.

Jue Ming
‘Destiny Totally Vanishing.’ One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Kan Yu
The way of Heaven and the way of Earth. Together this means the way of time and space.

King Wen
Some say he rearranged the Xian Tian Ba Gua to form the Hou Tian Ba Gua (although most say this was the work of Fu Xi), most agree he attached explanatory statements to the Hexagrams.

Li Ji
The Centre of Reference. Where the luopan is placed.

Lian Zheng
‘Clean & Chaste’ - ‘The Devil of Ferocity’, Star 5 in the Flying Stars.

Lian Zhu San Ban Gua
The second type of San Ban Gua. Lian Zhu means stringed pearls. In each and every palace, the three numbers are consecutive number.

Liang Yi
Two polarities. Referring to yin and yang.

Ling Shen
(Holy 0) The opposite direction to the Zheng Shen, which is also the location of the star 5 in the Time chart for each 20 year Period. This is where water should be.

Ling Xing
A card issued by the emperor to his officer in charge giving the holder ‘power of attorney’ to represent the emperor. The ruling star of the 20 year cycle. The ancients were very careful in choosing the appropriate word when they wanted to introduce a new term. The term ‘Ling Xing’ was chosen to mean the ‘Ruling Star.’ The person who carries the ‘Ling Pai’ (the card, usually like a long rhombus with one end longer than the other) is described as ‘De Ling’ meaning holding the Ling Pai. De Ling, of course, also means having power because of this.

Liu Sha
‘Six Devils.’ One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Lu Cun
‘Prosperity Retained’ - ‘The Phantom of Misfortune’, Star 3 in the Flying Stars.

Luo Pan Feng Shui compass used to calculate the orientation of a building. Contains rings of information used in Feng Shui analysis.

Luo Shu
9 Star allocated sequence of numbers used in Feng Shui analysis showing the types of qi coming from the 8 directions. Earth qi is charted by the static Luo Shu (with 5 at the centre). Heaven qi is charted by the dynamic Luo Shu (with the time star at the centre).

Major Void
Boundary between two trigrams, undetermined qi.

Man
Chinese for the front door which should be big and open.

Mao
The Rabbit. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Ming Gua
A person’s personal Trigram.

Ming Tang
‘Bright Hall’ an open area at the front or entrance where qi can accumulate.

Ming; Yun; Ji Yin De; Du Shu
Fate, destiny; Fortune or luck; Doing good deeds; Education, study of books.

Minor Void
Boundary between first and second mountains, undecided qi.

Monk Yi Xing
Inventor of the 8 House School.

Monthly Stars
Visiting monthly stars to each of the eight palaces.

Mountain Star
Star governing health, relationships and personality.

Na qi
‘Tapping into qi,’ to receive qi from heaven.

Palace
Indicates the relative direction the qi is coming from towards the centre.

Parent Sequence
Each palace has a corresponding representative from the Upper, Middle and Lower Cycles.

Po Jun
‘Destructive Army’ - ‘The Spirit of Solemnity’, Star 7 in the Flying Stars.

Qi
Matter and energy in tangible and intangible form.

Qi-mouth
Entry point of qi, usually front door.

Qin Dynasty
221BC – 206BC. The Qin emperor unified China for the first time.

Qing Long, Cong Long
Cerulean (green) Dragon. Cerulean Dragon, located to the right of a building when facing it.

Qing Nan Jing
‘Cerulean Satchel Classic’ given to Jiang Liang by the Yellow Rock Elder.

Ren
Yang Water. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Replacement Stars
Alternative stars used when the compass direction of the facing is almost on the boundary between the first and second mountains or third and first mountains, in other words between the Major or Minor Voids.

Ruler to Measure Heaven
The practice of tracing the path of the 9 stars on one’s own hand.

Rules of flight
Rules for flying the stars in either the forward or backward sequence.

San He
3 Combinations school of Feng Shui.

San Yuan
3 Cycles 9 Periods school of Feng Shui.

Sha
Evil.

Sha Qi
Negative qi emanating from a variety of sources.

Shang Shan Xia Shui
Misplaced mountain at sitting, misplaced water at facing. Gone up a mountain and down into water.

Shen
The Monkey. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Sheng Qi
‘Birth Energy.’ Generating Breath. The best type of qi. The best direction. One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Shi Yuan
When a star is out of cycle.

Shuai
Weakening, retreating or decaying.

Shuang Ling Xing Dou Xiang
Double Ruling Star at the facing.

Shuang Ling Xing Dou Zou
Double Ruling Star at the sitting.

Shuo Gua Zhuan
Descriptions of the Trigrams.

Si
The Snake. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Si
Dead.

Si Xiang
Four images.

Sitting
The yin side of a building.

Small Tai Ji
The centre of an individual room.

Spring and Autumn Period
in Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the period Confucius lived.

Sui Po
The opposite direction to the Tai Sui.

Tai Ji
The vibrant part and the soft part that the universe divided into. The ‘Ultimate Greatness’.

Tai Sui or Grand Duke
The annual direction indicated by one of the 12 branches.

Tai Wei
The official name of the Red Bird.

Tai Yang
All yang.

Tan Lang
‘Greedy Wolf’ – ‘The Angel of Sheng Qi’, Star 1 in the Flying Stars.

Tao
Cloth woven, you have horizontal and vertical threads.

Three Types of Luck
The Cosmic Trinity. The study of a person’s life palace in relation to the house’s chart; Heaven Luck, Earth Luck and Human Luck.

Tian Pan
Heaven Chart or Time Chart. The heaven qi which changes every twenty years.

Tian Shi
The official name of the dragon, that is 1 – 7, stars number 1 – 7 in the 28 constellations.

Tian Yi
‘Heavenly Doctor.’ One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Time Star
The opportunity star

Trigram
Three-lined figure.

Trigram Dui
The youngest daughter. Metal. Located in the South East in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the West in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Gen
The youngest son. Earth. Located in the North West in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the North East in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Kan
The middle son. Water. Located in the West in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the North in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Kun
The mother. Earth. Located in the North in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the South West in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Li
The middle daughter. Fire. Located in the East in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the South in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Qian
The father. Metal. Located in the South in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the North West in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Xun
The eldest daughter. Wood. Located in the South West in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the South East in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Trigram Zhen
The eldest son. Wood. Located in the North East in the Xian Tian Ba Gua, in the East in the Hou Tian Ba Gua.

Wang
Prominent or vibrant.

Wang Shan Wang Shui
Fortunate mountain at sitting, fortunate water at facing.

Wang Xing
Same as Ling Xing.

Warring State Period
After Spring Autumn Period

Water Star
Star governing wealth and prosperity.

Wei
The Goat. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Wen Qu
‘Academic Path’ - ‘The Clever and Indecent Nymph’, Star 4 in the Flying Stars.

Wu
The Horse. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Wu
Yang Earth. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems.

Wu Gui
‘Five Ghosts.’ One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Wu Ji
In the beginning there was nothing, the ‘Ultimate Void’.

Wu Ji Da Sha
Yang Earth and Yin Earth Great Sha. 5 yellow. When the annual 5 flies to a trigram, do not disturb the earth there. Putting metal in between helps but may not be good enough depending on how serious the disturbance is. This one affects everyone, no matter what the four pillars are like.

Wu Qu
‘Military Path’ - ‘The Angel of Gallantry’, Star 6 in the Flying Stars.

Wu Xing
Five phases of qi, the five elements of fire, earth, metal, water and wood.

Xia Yu
The great emperor who cured the flooding Yellow River .

Xian Tian
‘Something that comes with birth.’ ‘Xian’ means ‘early’ and ‘Tian’ means ‘heaven’.

Xiao Wei
The official name of the White Tiger.

Xiao Yin
Young yin.

Xin
Yin Metal. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Xu
The Dog. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Xuan Kong Mi Zhi
Chinese Classic on Xuan Kong Feng Shui.

Xuan Wu
Black Tortoise, located at the back of a building, the most yin side.

Xue
Dragon’s Den or Lair, location for a good site.

Xue Xin Fu
Snow Heart Song. The most important Feng Shui Classic on forms.

Yan Nian
‘Prolonged Years.’ One of the 8 Wandering Stars used in Ba Zhai Feng Shui.

Yang
The light, active, noisy, principle.

Yao
Any single line of a Bigram, Trigram or Hexagram.

Yellow Rock Elder
Unknown, legendary author of the Qing Nan Jing.

Yi
Short for Yijing.

Yi
Yin Wood. One of the 10 Heavenly Stems. One of the 24 Mountains.

Yijing/Yi Jing/ I Ching
Book of Changes. Ancient Chinese book of divination using the 64 Hexagrams.

Yin
The dark, passive, quiet, principle.

Yin
The Tiger. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

You
The Rooster. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

You Bi
‘Right Assistant’ - ‘The Angel of Vigour’, Star 9 in the Flying Stars.

Yuan
A period of time. The Lower Yuan is period of 60 years from 1984 – 2044.

Zheng Shen
The location of the ruling star (Ling Xing) on the Earth chart which changes every 20 years. This is where a mountain should be.

Zhou Dynasty
1122BC – 256BC.

Zhou Fu
‘Left Assistant’ - ‘The Angel of Wealth and Happiness’, Star 8 in the Flying Stars.

Zhu Jue
Crimson Bird, located at the front of a building, the most yang side.

Zi
The Rat. One of the 12 Earthly Branches. One of the 24 Mountains.

Zi Wei
The Emperor in Heaven. Zi Wei is the official name of the 7 stars in the Black Tortoise. You Zi Wei Dou Shu A type of Chinese Astrology.