Bagua in Feng Shui: Early Heaven vs Later Heaven Bagua, Trigrams Five Elements Directions Family Body, Eight Mansions & Xuan Kong Flying Star Bagua Systems • TIMEACTOR

The Bagua — A Feng Shui Master's Coordinate System. All Eight Cardinal Directions Carved Into Eight Trigrams.

A feng shui master carries a map in their mind. Eight directions. Eight trigram names. Five Element attributes. Family members they represent. Body parts they correspond to. This map is the operating system of feng shui.

The Bagua is the foundation of feng shui. Every directional judgment ultimately lands back on the Bagua. The Bagua comes in two sets — Early Heaven and Later Heaven. The Early Heaven Bagua was drawn by Fu Xi — it describes how heaven and earth came into being. The Later Heaven Bagua was drawn by King Wen — it describes how things move through space. Feng shui uses the Later Heaven Bagua. Why not the Early Heaven? The Early Heaven Bagua is 'substance' — it describes the original structure of the universe. The Later Heaven Bagua is 'function' — it describes how qi moves through space. Feng shui's job is to determine which direction the qi is in and whether the qi is good. So it uses the Later Heaven. The Later Heaven Bagua direction arrangement: Li in the South, Kan in the North, Zhen in the East, Dui in the West, Qian in the Northwest, Kun in the Southwest, Gen in the Northeast, Xun in the Southeast. Each trigram has a complete set of correspondences — Five Element (Qian Dui = Metal, Kun Gen = Earth, Zhen Xun = Wood, Kan = Water, Li = Fire), family members (Qian = Father, Kun = Mother, Zhen = Eldest Son, Xun = Eldest Daughter, Kan = Middle Son, Li = Middle Daughter, Gen = Youngest Son, Dui = Youngest Daughter), body parts (Qian = Head, Kun = Abdomen, Zhen = Feet, Xun = Thighs, Kan = Ears, Li = Eyes, Gen = Hands, Dui = Mouth), colors, seasons, and more. Memorize the Bagua and you clear the first gate to feng shui entry.

Remember the Bagua in four lines: ① Directions — Li South, Kan North, Zhen East, Dui West. Four corners: Qian Northwest, Kun Southwest, Gen Northeast, Xun Southeast. ② Five Elements — Four cardinal trigrams: Water, Fire, Wood, Metal. Four corner trigrams: Qian Metal, Kun Earth, Gen Earth, Xun Wood. ③ Family — Qian Father, Kun Mother, Zhen Eldest Son, Xun Eldest Daughter, Kan Middle Son, Li Middle Daughter, Gen Youngest Son, Dui Youngest Daughter. ④ Body — Qian Head, Kun Abdomen, Zhen Feet, Xun Thighs, Kan Ears, Li Eyes, Gen Hands, Dui Mouth. Four lines. One week of practice. The Bagua locks into your brain.

1. Early Heaven vs Later Heaven Bagua — Which One Does a Feng Shui Master Use?

The Early Heaven and Later Heaven Bagua are two different coordinate systems. The Early Heaven Bagua direction arrangement: Qian in the South, Kun in the North, Li in the East, Kan in the West, Dui in the Southeast, Gen in the Northwest, Zhen in the Northeast, Xun in the Southwest. The logic behind this arrangement: 'Heaven and Earth set their positions. Mountain and Marsh connect their qi. Thunder and Wind press close. Water and Fire do not assail each other.' Qian-Kun set Heaven and Earth. Gen-Dui correspond to Mountain and Marsh. Zhen-Xun correspond to Thunder and Wind. Kan-Li correspond to Water and Fire. Four pairs of opposite trigrams face each other. The Early Heaven Bagua describes 'generation' — how heaven and earth came to be. The Later Heaven Bagua direction arrangement: Li in the South, Kan in the North, Zhen in the East, Dui in the West, Gen in the Northeast, Xun in the Southeast, Kun in the Southwest, Qian in the Northwest. The logic: Li is Fire. Fire nature rises upward. Place it in the South (south is hot). Kan is Water. Water nature flows downward. Place it in the North (north is cold). Zhen is Thunder. Spring thunder in the East (east is spring). Dui is Marsh. Autumn marsh in the West (west is autumn). The Later Heaven Bagua describes 'movement' — how qi circulates through space. Why does feng shui use the Later Heaven? Feng shui's task is to judge whether the direction you're in right now is good or not. Good or not depends on whether qi is present. Whether qi is present depends on which route qi takes. Qi follows the Later Heaven Bagua route (East to South to West to North to Center — the four seasons cycle). So use the Later Heaven. The Early Heaven Bagua also has a use — in feng shui's 'trigram cycle' judgment, Xuan Kong Six Methods uses the Early Heaven. But at the entry level, remember one thing: when laying out directions, use the Later Heaven.

2. Bagua Five Elements, Directions, Family, Body — One Table to Remember Everything

The Bagua is not just about directions — each trigram carries Five Element, family member, body part, color, season. Here is the complete correspondence table. Qian trigram — Direction Northwest, Five Element Metal, Family Father, Body Head, Color White Gold, Season autumn-winter transition. Kun trigram — Direction Southwest, Five Element Earth, Family Mother, Body Abdomen Spleen Stomach, Color Yellow Brown, Season summer-autumn transition. Zhen trigram — Direction East, Five Element Wood, Family Eldest Son, Body Feet Liver Gallbladder, Color Green Blue-Green, Season Spring. Xun trigram — Direction Southeast, Five Element Wood, Family Eldest Daughter, Body Thighs Buttocks, Color Green Blue-Green, Season spring-summer transition. Kan trigram — Direction North, Five Element Water, Family Middle Son, Body Ears Kidneys Bladder, Color Black Blue, Season Winter. Li trigram — Direction South, Five Element Fire, Family Middle Daughter, Body Eyes Heart Small Intestine, Color Red Purple, Season Summer. Gen trigram — Direction Northeast, Five Element Earth, Family Youngest Son, Body Hands Fingers Nose, Color Yellow Brown, Season winter-spring transition. Dui trigram — Direction West, Five Element Metal, Family Youngest Daughter, Body Mouth Tongue Lungs, Color White Gold, Season Autumn. How to memorize? First, the four cardinal trigrams (Li South, Kan North, Zhen East, Dui West). Then the four corners (Qian Northwest, Kun Southwest, Gen Northeast, Xun Southeast). The four cardinal trigrams' Five Elements follow the Four Symbols — South Fire, North Water, East Wood, West Metal. The four corners' Five Elements: Qian and Dui share Metal (Dui West, Qian Northwest — Metal energy in the west). Zhen and Xun share Wood (Zhen East, Xun Southeast — Wood energy in the east). Kun and Gen share Earth (Kun Southwest, Gen Northeast — the diagonal brackets the central Earth). Once you memorize the Five Elements, family and body come naturally — each trigram governs one family member and one body part. One family broken into eight trigrams. One body also broken into eight parts.

3. Eight Mansions Feng Shui: The Bagua in Action — Is Your House East Four or West Four?

Eight Mansions feng shui is the most direct application of the Bagua to yang dwellings (homes of the living). Eight Mansions divides homes into two categories — East Four Houses and West Four Houses. The classification standard is the trigram the house sits on (zuo shan). Zhen house (sits East faces West), Xun house (sits Southeast faces Northwest), Kan house (sits North faces South), Li house (sits South faces North) — these four are East Four Houses. Qian house (sits Northwest faces Southeast), Kun house (sits Southwest faces Northeast), Gen house (sits Northeast faces Southwest), Dui house (sits West faces East) — these four are West Four Houses. People also have East Four Ming Gua and West Four Ming Gua. Calculate from your birth year. If you have an East Four Ming Gua — you can live in any of the East Four Houses. Living in a West Four House breaks the match. Conversely, if you have a West Four Ming Gua and live in an East Four House — also breaks the match. Eight Mansions also uses the Da You Nian (Great Wandering Year) formula to map seven stars onto the eight trigram positions — Sheng Qi (Generating Breath), Tian Yi (Heavenly Doctor), Yan Nian (Prolonged Years), Fu Wei (Hidden Position) are the four auspicious stars. Jue Ming (Severed Fate), Wu Gui (Five Ghosts), Liu Sha (Six Sha), Huo Hai (Calamity) are the four inauspicious stars. Each trigram has its own seven-star arrangement. For example, a Kan house (sits North faces South), the Da You Nian arranges: Kan = Fu Wei (auspicious), Gen = Wu Gui (inauspicious), Zhen = Tian Yi (auspicious), Xun = Sheng Qi (greatly auspicious), Li = Yan Nian (auspicious), Kun = Jue Ming (greatly inauspicious), Dui = Huo Hai (inauspicious), Qian = Liu Sha (inauspicious). Four auspicious and four inauspicious — when arranging rooms, place people in the four auspicious directions. Eight Mansions' strength: fast — ten minutes and you get a result. Its weakness: coarse — only eight trigram positions, no subdivision into the 24 Mountains. But good enough for entry level.

4. Xuan Kong Flying Stars: The Bagua as a Nine-Grid — How Nine Stars Nest Into the Eight Trigrams

Xuan Kong Flying Star overlays the Bagua and nine stars together. The nine-palace grid is the Later Heaven Bagua direction map. Li 9 in the South, Kan 1 in the North, Zhen 3 in the East, Dui 7 in the West, Kun 2 in the Southwest, Xun 4 in the Southeast, Qian 6 in the Northwest, Gen 8 in the Northeast. Center is palace 5. Each palace is both a trigram and a number (Luo Shu number). Xuan Kong's flying stars trace the Luo Shu trajectory: Center palace → Qian → Dui → Gen → Li → Kan → Kun → Zhen → Xun → back to Center. The nine stars fly to trigram positions. That trigram's fortune is determined by whichever star lands there. The nine stars are themselves extensions of the Bagua — 1 White Tan Lang (Greedy Wolf) corresponds to Kan trigram (Water). 2 Black Ju Men (Great Gate) corresponds to Kun trigram (Earth). 3 Jade Lu Cun (Preserving Salary) corresponds to Zhen trigram (Wood). 4 Green Wen Qu (Literary Song) corresponds to Xun trigram (Wood). 5 Yellow Lian Zhen (Chaste Righteousness) has no trigram (resides in the center). 6 White Wu Qu (Military Song) corresponds to Qian trigram (Metal). 7 Red Po Jun (Broken Army) corresponds to Dui trigram (Metal). 8 White Zuo Fu (Left Assistant) corresponds to Gen trigram (Earth). 9 Purple You Bi (Right Assistant) corresponds to Li trigram (Fire). So when a flying star lands on its matching trigram position (e.g., 9 Purple flies to Li palace) — this is called 'in position': the star and the trigram share the same Five Element, qi flows smoothly. When a flying star lands on a trigram that restrains it or that it restrains — Five Elements clash, qi does not flow. The Bagua in Xuan Kong provides 'position.' The flying stars provide 'time-based change.' Position never changes — Li is always in the South, Kan always in the North. But stars fly — 9 Purple may be in the South this year, and in the North next year. The Bagua is the chessboard. The flying stars are the pieces.

5. Bagua Entry Level — Master Three Things and the Bagua Opens Up

Learning the Bagua does not require starting with the Zhou Yi (Book of Changes). When feng shui needs hands-on work, the Bagua is simply eight labeled directions. Three things. Do them and the Bagua becomes alive for you. First: draw the trigram map. Take a blank piece of paper. Draw a Later Heaven Bagua direction chart. On each of the eight directions, write the trigram name, Luo Shu number, Five Element, family member it represents, and body part. Post it on your wall. Look at it twice a day. After a week you can draw it with your eyes closed. Second: project the trigrams. This is not divination practice. This is spatial perception training. Stand in the middle of a room. Face South. Overlay the Bagua direction map onto the room in your mind. Due South is Li Fire (eyes, heart, middle daughter). Due North is Kan Water (ears, kidneys, middle son). Due East is Zhen Wood (feet, liver, eldest son). Due West is Dui Metal (mouth, lungs, youngest daughter). This exercise trains 'projecting abstract trigrams onto concrete space.' After enough practice, you won't need to stand in the exact center — from any corner, you can overlay the Bagua mentally. Third: check your house trigram. Take your home's sitting-facing orientation. Use a Luo Pan or phone compass. Find which trigram the sitting mountain (zuo shan) falls on. Check if it's East Four or West Four. Calculate your own Ming Gua — East Four Ming Gua or West Four Ming Gua. Save it in your phone notes. Three things done — the Bagua is alive in your hands.

Multi-Dimensional Breakdown

Career & Wealth

The Bagua judges wealth through the Northwest and Southeast. Qian trigram (Northwest) governs power and leadership — the Qian position is the Northwest corner of the home. A missing Northwest corner = Qian position injured. Residents face career obstacles and difficulty getting promoted. A bathroom or storage room in the Northwest corner = worse. Qian position polluted by foul qi. Remedy: keep the Northwest corner clean and tidy. Place metal ornaments (Qian belongs to Metal). Or display your company awards and certificates. Xun trigram (Southeast) governs scholarly fortune and incoming wealth — Xun position is the Southeast corner of the home. A desk or workspace in the Southeast corner = Wen Chang star activated. Good exam luck and side-income prospects. Tall buildings or lush greenery outside the Southeast window = Wood qi prospers. This supports growth-based careers (education, creative fields, tech). Heavy metal objects (safe, large metal furniture) in the Southeast corner = Metal conquers Wood. Wen Chang suppressed. Wealth path blocked. Li trigram (South) governs reputation and influence — if you build a brand or do content creation, the South must be well set up. The South likes red. Likes brightness.

Love & Relationship

The Bagua judges relationships through Kun and Dui. Kun trigram (Southwest) governs the female head of household — Kun position is the Southwest corner of the home. The state of the Southwest corner directly determines the female household members' stability and well-being. A missing Southwest corner = lacking maternal energy. The female head's health or mood easily suffers. The home lacks soft energy. If the Southwest corner window faces a pleasant view with gathered water — Kun Earth gets nourished by water. The female head glows. Family relationships are harmonious. Dui trigram (West) governs the youngest daughter and speech/conflict — Dui position is the West side of the home. Red items in the Dui position (Fire conquers Metal, conquering Dui) — the household easily argues. A lot of verbal conflict. Place metal-toned decor (white, gold, silver) in the Dui position — Dui Metal strengthened. Family communication flows smoothly. Zhen trigram (East) governs the eldest son — the state of the East affects male household members' career and mindset. Open green views outside the East window = Zhen Wood thrives. Men have drive and momentum.

Personality

The Bagua's influence on personality depends on which trigram position you spend the most time in. Which trigram position is your bedroom or study in? That trigram's Five Element shapes your personality long-term. Spending a lot of time in Qian position (Northwest) — Qian Metal energy makes you decisive, leadership-oriented, but prone to stubbornness. Spending a lot of time in Kun position (Southwest) — Kun Earth energy makes you包容 accommodating, stable, but prone to passivity and conservatism. Spending a lot of time in Zhen position (East) — Zhen Wood energy makes you proactive, explosive drive, but prone to impulsiveness and temper. Spending a lot of time in Xun position (Southeast) — Xun Wood energy makes you flexible, good at communication, but prone to wavering and indecision. Spending a lot of time in Kan position (North) — Kan Water energy makes you calm, deep, wise, but prone to melancholy. Spending a lot of time in Li position (South) — Li Fire energy makes you warm, outgoing, highly charismatic, but prone to impatience. Spending a lot of time in Gen position (Northeast) — Gen Earth energy makes you steady, grounded, but overly concerned with others' opinions. Spending a lot of time in Dui position (West) — Dui Metal energy makes you expressive, articulate, but prone to talking too much and hurting others.

Health

The Bagua judges health through the correspondence between trigram positions and body parts. Qian trigram (Northwest) governs the head. A missing Qian corner, or the Qian area occupied by a kitchen with heavy Fire energy — household members (especially the male head) are prone to headaches, high blood pressure, cerebrovascular issues. Kun trigram (Southwest) governs the abdomen and digestive system. Kun position has problems — household members (especially the female head) are prone to digestive issues and skin problems. Zhen trigram (East) governs feet and the liver. A road rushing toward the East window — household members prone to leg and foot injuries. Kan trigram (North) governs ears and kidneys. A missing Kan corner or excessive red (Fire) in the Kan position — Kidney Water gets boiled dry by Fire. Prone to tinnitus, kidney deficiency. Li trigram (South) governs eyes and heart. A sharp-corner sha outside the South window (the corner of a neighboring building pointing at you) — vision decline, heart palpitations. Gen trigram (Northeast) governs hands and nose. Dui trigram (West) governs mouth and lungs. Heavy red items in the Dui position (Fire conquers Metal) — prone to sore throat, cough, lung heat.

Classical Support

Practical Ground-Level Points

Calculate Your Ming Gua and House Trigram in Ten Minutes — All You Need Is Your Phone and a Piece of Paper: Ming Gua formula (simplified, based on birth year): Male — (100 − last two digits of birth year) ÷ 9, take the remainder. Female — (last two digits of birth year − 4) ÷ 9, take the remainder. If there is a remainder, the remainder corresponds to a trigram (1 = Kan, 2 = Kun, 3 = Zhen, 4 = Xun, 5 = Kun for male Gen for female, 6 = Qian, 7 = Dui, 8 = Gen, 9 = Li). If no remainder (divides evenly) — remainder = 0, the trigram is Li (9). Example: male born 1990 — (100 − 90) ÷ 9 = 10 ÷ 9, remainder 1. 1 = Kan trigram. Kan is East Four Ming Gua. Female born 1990 — (90 − 4) ÷ 9 = 86 ÷ 9, remainder 5. 5 for female = Gen trigram. Gen is West Four Ming Gua. Checking the house trigram is even simpler: stand at the home's center with your phone compass. See the home's facing direction (the sitting mountain is opposite the facing direction). Sits North faces South = Kan house (East Four). Sits South faces North = Li house (East Four). Sits East faces West = Zhen house (East Four). Sits Southeast faces Northwest = Xun house (East Four). Sits Northwest faces Southeast = Qian house (West Four). Sits Southwest faces Northeast = Kun house (West Four). Sits Northeast faces Southwest = Gen house (West Four). Sits West faces East = Dui house (West Four). Ming Gua and house trigram checked — save them to your phone.
Bagua Remedy — Fix Whatever Trigram Position Has a Problem: The core logic of Bagua remedies: trigram position missing, trigram position being conquered, trigram position facing sha. Missing corner — a chunk of the house is missing in a certain trigram direction (the house is not square). You need to patch the corner. In that missing-corner direction, use that trigram's Five Element color and material to supplement. Qian missing — white metal decor in the Northwest corner. Kun missing — yellow pottery in the Southwest corner. Kan missing — black or blue water feature in the North corner. Li missing — red lighting in the South corner. Being conquered — the trigram position is under attack from external Five Element force. For example, Li position (South, Fire) has a fish pond or river outside the window (Water conquers Fire) — Li Fire is suppressed by Water. Place red curtains or red ornaments on the windowsill. Use Fire to block the Water. Facing sha — the trigram position window faces a bad terrain form (sharp-corner sha, road rush sha, reverse bow sha). Place a Bagua mirror on that trigram position's windowsill (convex mirror deflects sha). Or place sha-resolving items matching that trigram's Five Element. Qian and Dui trigram positions (Metal) — place brass wind chimes or Six Emperor Coins to resolve sha. Zhen and Xun trigram positions (Wood) — place green plants to resolve sha (plants buffer sha energy). Li trigram position (Fire) — place red decor to resolve sha (Fire in command, not afraid of sha). Kan trigram position (Water) — place a black water feature to resolve sha. Kun and Gen trigram positions (Earth) — place ceramics or yellow ornaments to resolve sha.

Common Questions

Q:Eight Mansions says I'm West Four Ming Gua but I currently live in an East Four House — what do I do? Do I have to move?

You don't have to move. Ming Gua and house trigram matching is an ideal scenario — not a hard rule. The impact of a mismatch is not as dramatic as it sounds. Practical steps: ① First, check the Da You Nian seven-star arrangement — which of the eight directions in your house are auspicious star positions (Sheng Qi, Tian Yi, Yan Nian, Fu Wei). Place your core functions (bed, desk, sofa) in these four auspicious positions. ② The inauspicious star positions (Jue Ming, Wu Gui, Liu Sha, Huo Hai) should be left empty or used only for storage cabinets. ③ Keep air circulating indoors — Bagua qi self-regulates when flowing. ④ Most importantly — if the Luan Tou (Form School) assessment says your house's external environment is good (good dragon, good water, mountains enclosing well), that matters far more than Ming Gua matching. Form School overrides Eight Mansions. Good forms + Ming Gua mismatch = still livable. Bad forms + Ming Gua match = don't live there. Eight Mansions is just an enhancement layer — don't make it your only standard.

Q:The Bagua directions and the flying star directions often conflict — which one do I follow?

The Bagua is the coordinate. The flying stars are the time cycle. The Bagua's positions never change (Li is always South, Kan is always North). The flying stars change every year (9 Purple may be in the South this year, in the North next year). The two do not contradict — the Bagua provides 'where,' the flying stars provide 'what is there now.' Practical rule: flying stars take priority over Bagua. If the Bagua says the South is prosperous (Li Fire, 9 Purple), but the flying stars say this year 5 Yellow Great Sha has flown to the South — don't use the South this year. After the year passes and the star flies away, use the South normally again. The Bagua is the long-term trend. The flying stars are short-term fluctuations. The long-term trend determines layout (place people in trigram positions that match their Five Element for daily living). Short-term fluctuations determine this year's adjustments (avoid the year's inauspicious star positions). Use both together. They don't fight.