What the Eight Mansions system is
The Eight Mansions, also called Ba Zhai, is a classic school of feng shui. It is based on the Ba Gua, the eight trigrams, which also underlie the bagua map. It gives each person four lucky and four unlucky directions, and it gives each house a group that describes how the building sits.
Unlike time-based systems such as Flying Stars, the Eight Mansions chart for a person does not change from year to year. The method is traditional and is used as a guide for choosing where to sit, sleep and work.
Two charts: your personal kua and your house
The Eight Mansions uses two charts that work together:
- Your personal kua number. This comes from your birth year and gender. It gives your four favourable and four unfavourable directions. See the kua number calculation guide.
- The house’s group. This comes from the direction the house sits, which is the back of the house, opposite the main entrance. Houses in the East group sit north, east, southeast or south. Houses in the West group sit northeast, northwest, southwest or west.
Traditional guidance is that a person’s group should match the group of the house. When they do not match, many practitioners suggest choosing carefully which rooms you use most, rather than trying to change the whole house.
The four favourable sectors
The four favourable sectors are:
- Sheng Qi (also spelled Sheng Chi), growth. The strongest sector. Linked with wealth, success and career. Traditionally, use it for work and important decisions.
- Tian Yi, health. Traditionally a good sector for rest and recovery. Sometimes called the Heavenly Doctor.
- Yan Nian (also spelled Nien Yen), relationships and longevity. Linked with family and close relationships.
- Fu Wei, stability and personal growth. Traditionally a good sector for study and calm thinking.
For most readers, Sheng Qi is the sector most often linked with wealth and success. Its exact location depends on your personal kua number, so check your own chart.
The four unfavourable sectors
The four unfavourable sectors are:
- Huo Hai (also spelled Ho Hai), mishaps. Linked with minor setbacks, friction and disputes.
- Wu Gui (also spelled Wu Kuei), five ghosts. Linked with gossip, misfortune and unexpected losses.
- Liu Sha (also spelled Lui Sha), six killings. Linked with setbacks, legal problems and disagreements.
- Jue Ming (also spelled Chueh Ming), total loss. The most serious of the eight. Traditionally, avoid facing it or sleeping with your head toward it.
Traditionally, these sectors are used for rooms that need less attention, such as a kitchen, toilet or storage.
Which group do you belong to?
Your kua number places you in one of two groups:
- East group: kua 1, 3, 4 and 9. The favourable directions are north, east, southeast and south.
- West group: kua 2, 6, 7 and 8. The favourable directions are northeast, northwest, southwest and west.
A kua number of 5 is converted. Men become kua 2 and women become kua 8. For the number-by-number guides, see the Kua 1 guide, the Kua 2 and 8 guide, the Kua 3 and 4 guide, the Kua 6 and 7 guide and the Kua 9 guide.
Using the chart at home
- Front door. Where possible, use a door in a favourable sector. See the front door direction guide.
- Bed. Point your head toward a favourable sector when the room allows. For the general rules, see which direction your bed should not face.
- Desk. Face a favourable sector when you work or study. See the office desk direction guide.
- Kitchen and bathroom. The Eight Mansions tradition places these rooms in the unfavourable sectors, where they are said to reduce the effect of those sectors. Keep them out of the favourable ones.
These are traditional guidelines. The room layout, the orientation of the house and other people’s kua numbers all shape the picture. Use the chart as a starting point, not a rule.
Star names and spellings
The eight star names appear in several spellings in English, so you may see any of these in other sources:
- Sheng Qi, Sheng Chi
- Tian Yi, Tien Yi
- Yan Nian, Nien Yen
- Fu Wei
- Huo Hai, Ho Hai
- Wu Gui, Wu Kuei
- Liu Sha, Lui Sha
- Jue Ming, Chueh Ming
They refer to the same stars. If you are not sure which number applies to you, start with how to find your kua. The house numbers guide covers a separate idea: a street address number is not the same as a kua number.
These are traditional guidelines, not scientific findings. Use them as a way to think about your space, not as a verdict.