Feng Shui Surroundings Check

The four celestial animals

Form school (峦头, luan tou) describes the ideal site as an armchair. Standing in the front door looking out:

• Black Tortoise (玄武), behind you — the back of the chair. Higher ground, a hill, trees or a taller building give support.
• Vermilion Bird (朱雀), in front — open, bright space where qi can gather: a garden, a quiet street, a view. In the far distance a low "table mountain" is welcome.
• Green Dragon (青龙), on your left — the left armrest, ideally a little higher or more active than the right.
• White Tiger (白虎), on your right — the right armrest, ideally calmer and lower than the Dragon side.

The check uses the same rule: everything within 45° of straight ahead counts as front, and so on round the house.

The classic warnings

• Road arrow or T-junction (路冲). A road that runs straight at the house, usually at a T-junction or the end of a cul-de-sac, is the most-cited form problem. Traffic and headlights aimed at the door are a practical problem too.
• Sharp angle (尖角煞). The corner of a nearby building, or a roof ridge, pointing at the house — especially at the front door.
• Pressing building (压迫). A much taller building close in front, blocking light and the bright hall.
• Water behind. A pool, pond or river at the back is traditionally read as a lack of support, the opposite of the "mountain behind, water in front" ideal.
• Something in front of the door. A pole, large tree or column directly in line with the entrance.

Using the result

Form school is about the setting, which you usually can't change. Traditional responses work with what's there: a hedge, fence or planting to screen a road arrow; a solid boundary or tall planting at the back where there's no "mountain"; lighting and an open, tidy approach at the front. The check doesn't score your house — it lists what you marked and how the tradition reads each one, so you can weigh them yourself.

Questions