What is Feng Shui?

The sum of all the factors that affect the living environment is called feng shui. Mainly refers to a region's topography, hydrology, climate, vegetation, roads, rivers and other natural environmental factors, that is, the requirements of human habitation and the comprehensive natural environment of influencing factors.

Feng Shui is to evaluate and compare these comprehensive natural environmental factors, so as to choose a human residential area with high cost performance. These methods and theories are collectively called geomantic omen. Then, to sum up the concept of Feng Shui is that human beings compare various factors that constitute Feng Shui and choose the method and theory that is most suitable for their living area. This is Feng Shui. To put it simply, Feng Shui is a subject to find a livable place for human beings.

There are many methods and theories of choosing living environment conditions for ancient geomantic omen in China. The Tibetan Classics and the Book of Changes are the most typical works, which have been observed and summarized by our people for a long time and are highly theoretical and scientific. But it is constantly implanted in divination, so it is mysterious. So it is regarded as superstition by modern people. I have to say that this is the sorrow of ancient geomantic omen in China.

How to select the core and essence of ancient geomantic omen, that is, how to get rid of its dross and keep its essence, and how to combine modern scientific theories to create modern geomantic omen theory is an urgent task, which is also the inheritance and development of ancient geomantic omen in China. This is the motivation and purpose of this book, and it is also an attempt and exploration.

Modern geomantic omen needs a complete theoretical system, which not only embodies the core of ancient geomantic omen theory, but also has modern scientific and rigorous theoretical demonstration and deduction; It can not only interpret the existing feng shui phenomenon, but also accurately infer and predict the future of this area, so as to choose the best livable feng shui according to local conditions.

Therefore, modern geomantic omen, based on the basic laws of modern geography, astronomy, hydrology, humanities, physiology, medicine, physics and psychology, establishes a set of theoretical system for choosing the land where human beings can live in geomantic omen for the benefit of mankind.

1 ...2, the five elements of feng shui

Geomantic omen generally refers to human living environment, including five most important factors, namely wind, water, land, location and light.

1.2. 1, wind and Long Mai.

Wind refers to air, and the flow of air forms wind. It is easy for us to understand that wind energy changes the temperature, humidity and precipitation of the air in the living environment, thus affecting the living environment of human beings. Obviously, wind is a very important factor in Feng Shui.

The wind is flowing and directional. Chinese mainland, for example, has a very typical monsoon climate. The northwest wind is cold and dry in winter, and the southeast wind is warm and humid in summer. Therefore, livable places need to avoid northwest winds and accommodate southeast winds. It is very livable to sit at the foot of the mountain facing south. Winter can block the north wind, and the slowly rising mountains in summer can hold up the southeast wind to form clouds, rain and cool down. Therefore, living by the mountain is the best livable choice. Based on this, the "wind" in China ancient geomantic omen has a close relationship with mountains, and the ridge slowly climbing in the south is called "Long Mai". Ancient feng shui masters did not understand the principles of monsoon and rainfall. In this way, China's ancient geomantic omen put "wind" in the first place, emphasizing that living by the mountain is the first choice, and the mountain is closer to the gods.

At this point, it is easy for us to understand the Book of Buried Sutra: the husband's yin and yang are the wind, rising to the clouds, falling to the rain, and walking on the ground is the gas. The phenomenon that the southeast wind is lifted into clouds by mountains and causes rainfall hits the nail on the head, which shows the natural relationship between mountains, wind and rain.

1.2.2, water

Water is a necessity for human life and crop irrigation, and rivers are the first transportation carrier in ancient times. Water is too important for human habitation. Without water, it is definitely not a livable place for human beings. Water, including precipitation in the sky, river water on the ground, lake and reservoir water deposited, groundwater, seawater, etc. , is the first element of human habitation.

Therefore, living by mountains and rivers has become the livable standard of ancient geomantic omen in China. This is in line with the basic principle of China inland livable place, is a summary of people's long-term observation experience, and is a simple and simple truth. This is why the theory of choosing a livable place is called "Feng Shui", named after two main factors: "wind" and "water", which explains the origin of the word "Feng Shui". Strictly speaking, the wind in ancient geomantic omen obviously refers to mountains. So the so-called "Feng Shui" is essentially "landscape". Generally speaking, good mountains, good water and good feng shui.

"Buried Sutra" said: The method of geomantic omen is to get water first, and then hide the wind. It emphasizes the primary position of water and puts water in the first place of feng shui elements.

1.2.3, ground and lobby

In ancient China, farming was the main part, and land was the most basic means of production, which was the support and guarantee for providing food. At the same time, land is also a place for residents' activities and material transactions. Therefore, a livable place needs to be surrounded by a large area of fertile and easy-to-irrigate flat land. In ancient geomantic omen, the flat land around this livable place was called Waimingtang, which was cultivated land and the source of food. The flat land outside the house is called Zhong Mingtang, which is used for people's outdoor activities or drying grain. The outhouse that receives guests in the house is called Neimingtang, which is the main room or living room. The original meaning of "Tang Ming" is bright and open temporary flat land, while the definition of Tang Ming is the general name of flat land where people live and produce, including inside and outside livable places.

The indoor living room designed by modern architecture is the evolution of Neimingtang in Feng Shui. Zhongmingtang corresponds to the green leisure square in the current urban residential area; Then Waimingtang, in rural areas, refers to a large field outside the house to cultivate the land; In cities, it refers to business districts, schools, hospitals, stations, employers and factories around residential areas; For fishermen, rivers, lakes, oceans and other waters are fishermen's outer halls.

In ancient geomantic omen, Tang Ming was synonymous with leveling the land. To this day, there is a saying in the local dialect called "Maoming Hall", which means that if there is no flat land, it is not suitable for living and cannot be chosen as a long-term residence. "Tang Ming" is a special term for geomantic omen, but in this dialect, it means that people are wrong, rash and unreasonable when doing things or making decisions. It can be seen that the ancient geomantic omen had strict requirements on the flat land inside and outside the house, namely "Tang Ming", which contained rich principles of liveability and simplicity.

Waimingtang is a granary in a livable place for ancient people, and there is no place without Tang Ming. For example, there is no food in the barn and no money in the bag. It says "good mountains, good water and good feng shui". Here, when we mention the role of Tang Ming, it shows that the land with mountains and water is by no means a livable place, but only a scenic spot to play and watch. The difference between landscape and geomantic omen is obviously that there is no "Tang Ming". This also shows the important role of Tang Ming in geomantic omen.

In rural areas, the vast Waimingtang means fertile land, worry-free food and clothing, living and working in peace and contentment, and prosperous future generations. Only such a "mountain and water" is a livable place and a real feng shui; As a livable modern city, the concept of Tang Ming extends to: education, science and technology, economy, transportation, medical care, employment and so on, which is also a new definition of the word "Tang Ming" in modern Feng Shui.

The humorous summary is that all so-called "Feng Shui" without a Hall of Fame are hooligans. "Buried Sutra" says: the land is expensive and flat, and the soil is expensive and has branches.

1.2.4, location and direction

Bit, refers to the location of the livable area, location. In an area with mountains, water and a large area of flat land, location is also a very important factor, including the direction of mountains; Direction of water flow; Distance from mountains, running water and roads; Distance from production and living places; Distance from the surrounding central towns; The strategic position of war; These are all orientation factors, and livability must be considered. A truly livable place with mountains, water, flat land and a good location. With these, it can be said that it is livable.

To build a house in a livable place, the location and orientation of the homestead, the design and layout of the hall, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom all belong to the five elements of Feng Shui.

The typical monsoon climate in China and the terrain with high northwest and low southeast determine that the mainstream of house selection is "sitting north facing south and flowing east and west", which is the essence of ancient geomantic omen in China.

In Buried Sutra, "the terrain is the original vein and the mountain is the original bone. Commissioned by the snake, or for the north and the south, thousands of feet is the potential, and a hundred feet is the shape. " It is clear that the drainage direction of the mountains is east-west, and the direction of the mountains is gentle slope north-south, that is, it is clear that the direction of choice should be south and the water flow should be east-west, which is in line with the relationship between climate and topography in China.

1.2.5, light and sunshine

Light, that is, sunlight, depends on the sun for the growth of everything. The intensity and time of light directly determine the temperature and seasonal changes in human livable areas, as well as the growth and harvest of crops, and also determine the bumper harvest of human food. Food is the first need for human survival. Therefore, light is also a very important factor in livable geomantic omen. At different latitudes of the earth, the illumination varies greatly, and so does the distribution of human settlements. The most important reason is the illumination difference. The area near the Tropic of Cancer is the most important human settlement, mainly because of the strongest sunshine, the longest time and the smallest temperature difference.

Climate, temperature difference, sunshine time, sunshine direction and intensity, house lighting, and crops' liking for light are all topics of livable choice of Feng Shui, which are important chapters of Feng Shui and closely related to human livability.