What counts as a missing corner
The bagua is laid over the smallest rectangle that contains the whole home. When the home doesn't fill that rectangle — an L-shape, a U-shape, a notch cut out of one corner — the empty part of the rectangle is called a missing area (缺角). Feng shui links each area of the bagua with a part of life, so a missing area is traditionally read as that part of life lacking support.
The opposite case is an extension: a small part of the home that pushes out past an otherwise regular shape, such as a bay window or a short wing. Extensions are traditionally read as strengthening the area they belong to.
Missing area or extension?
The common rule compares the size of the projecting part with the length of the wall it sits on:
- If the projecting part is less than half the length of that side, it's an extension. Draw the bagua over the main body of the house and treat the projection as extra.
- If it's more than half, draw the bagua over the whole outline; the space beside the projection becomes a missing area.
The checker starts by fitting the frame to the whole outline. If you decide a part is an extension, drag the frame's corners in to cover only the main body. The report then shows that part as "extension" for the area it adjoins.
How the measurement works
Each of the nine squares is sampled at 576 points and tested against your outline. A square that is at least 85% inside the walls is marked complete, under 15% is missing, and anything between is reported with the share that's missing. Those thresholds are a practical convention, not a classical rule — use the percentages to make your own judgement.
Traditional responses to a missing area
Practitioners usually suggest marking the missing corner so that it "belongs" to the house again — a planted bed, a path, a light or a low fence along the line where the walls would have been — and paying extra attention to the related area inside the home. These are traditional suggestions; there is no need to buy anything.
Questions
Does a garage count?
An attached garage you walk through every day is often included. A detached one, or one used only for storage, is usually left out.
Should I use the front-door or compass method?
Either works here. The front-door method names the areas by their position from the door; the compass method names them by direction, so you'll see, for example, a missing Southwest (Love) corner.
Do upper floors count?
Check each floor separately. The ground floor is usually treated as the most important.