Blocking is not sealing.
A barrier deflects air and may create a gentler leeward zone. Too close or too dense, it can also leave stagnant pockets.
Observe wind and water · choose ground for dwelling
Read the wind, trace the water, then place the dwelling.
Let air move without becoming violent; admit sunlight without excess; give water a course and the house firm ground. Move the mountains, tree, and dwelling to see what changes.
Build the village ↓one site
three ridges
one dwelling
an open court
a bending river
I · Build a village
Would this place feel good to inhabit?
The initial plan shows a common idealized form: a backing mountain to the north, Azure Dragon to the east, White Tiger to the west, an open mingtang to the south, and a curving river in front. North is up. Drag any element and watch the conditions change.
Wind from the northwest
Arrow direction shows flow; length and color show speed. Ridges and trees deflect the air.
House on gentle slopeContours respond to the three ridges, overall slope, and low ground. Closed contours rise inward; closer lines indicate steeper ground. A narrowing between high areas is a saddle, while contours bending toward higher ground can indicate a valley. The airflow remains a two-dimensional teaching approximation—not CFD, geotechnical analysis, or a hydrology report.
II · Four observations
The environment answers directly.
Water goes downhill.
Risk rises when a house sits on a drainage line. Elevation and a clear outflow path matter more than the mere presence of water.
Orientation negotiates with the sun.
Move through a day. Orientation decides when light enters; trees and eaves trade summer shade against winter sun.
Covered behind, open ahead.
Prospect–refuge theory describes a preference for shelter behind and view ahead. Here both become visible quantities.
III · Name the pattern
The old term is feng shui.
“气乘风则散，界水则止。古人聚之使不散，行之使有止，故谓之风水。”Common text of the Book of Burial: qi disperses when carried by wind and stops at the boundary of water.
This page places observable wind, light, heat, water, and spatial experience on one field.
藏风barriers, deflection, leeward zoneswind environment
得水runoff, drainage, storagehydrology
向阳orientation, sunlight, shadebuilding microclimate
有靠有望cover behind, view aheadenvironmental psychology
氣The Qi Index here is a modern teaching devicenot a definition of historical qi
IV · A typical form
Backed and embraced, with room ahead.
The diagram returns common form-school terms to observable environmental relations. It is a modern reading framework, not a claim that historical concepts equal engineering categories.
| Feng shui term | Position in the layout | Environmental reading |
|---|---|---|
| Backing mountain 靠山 | Main ridge behind the house | May block part of the incoming wind and provide a sense of cover. A gentle ridge extension often drains better than a collecting hollow; actual foundation stability still requires geotechnical investigation. |
| Facing water 面水 | River in front | Historically associated with water supply, transport, view, and open space, but always accompanied by flood, erosion, and dampness risks. |
| Azure Dragon east White Tiger west | For a south-facing house, east is left and west is right | Side barriers may reduce crosswinds and create a milder field; poor spacing can also accelerate canyon winds or create stagnant air. |
| Bright hall 明堂 | Open ground between house and river | Open communal space, a daylight face, an activity ground, and a clear prospect. |
| Holding wind, gathering qi 藏风聚气 | Area enclosed by backing and side ridges | Reduce extreme wind and form a tolerable microclimate. The aim is not zero air movement but avoidance of both violent and stagnant air. |
| Dragon vein 龙脉 | Continuous ridges and valleys | A way to observe mountain chains, divides, watersheds, and landform continuity—not a claim about a hidden physical energy channel. |
V · Reduced to essentials
What remains when the terms are stripped away?
For a place meant to support life over time, four judgments remain: adapt, keep flows healthy, balance competing needs, and fit people to environment.
Work with nature
Read climate, terrain, water, sun, and wind; place roads, houses, trees, and water systems with them rather than against them.
Maintain movement
Air, water, people, and resources must move—neither stagnating nor rushing without control. Cang feng ju qi describes gentle flow with useful pause.
Seek proportion
Sun and shade, ventilation and shelter, openness and enclosure have no single maximum—only a fit for a particular place.
Let place and people fit
Environment shapes health, feeling, behavior, and social life; people continually reshape it in return.
In plain termsgood daylight · moving air · no violent wind · stable ground · less dust · human comfort
VI · Evidence and limits