Eight Mansions (八宅)

A fixed method that sorts the eight directions into favourable and unfavourable for each person. Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai) assigns a person to one of two groups by their kua number, then sorts the eight directions into four favourable and four unfavourable for that group. It is fixed — unlike Flying Stars, it does not change with time.

It belongs to the classical vocabulary of the tradition. A fixed method that sorts the eight directions into favourable and unfavourable for each person. Its fixedness is both its appeal and its limitation: the method is easy to apply and does not require a construction date, which is why it remains in wide use despite the time-based methods' greater precision.

The four favourable categories are sheng qi, tian yi, yan nian and fu wei; the four unfavourable are jue ming, wu gui, liu sha and huo hai. The classical sources use it mainly for the placement of the bed, the stove and the main door. It is grouped under Earth (土) in the five-element system.