TL;DR: In Bát Trạch, the southwest direction corresponds to the Khôn cung and belongs to the Tây tứ trạch: it suits people with a Tây tứ mệnh (Khôn, Càn, Đoài, Cấn), while for those with a Đông tứ mệnh this is an unfavorable direction, with the degree depending on cung phi. The five-element method only compares the nạp âm element of the birth year with the Thổ element of the direction, without distinguishing male or female, so some birth years may lead to different conclusions. To know for sure, check your cung phi using the site's home direction tool and enter your lunar birth year.
Who does the Southwest direction suit?
According to Bát Trạch (the Eight Mansions school of feng shui), the Southwest direction is the Khôn (Kun) palace, belonging to the Tây tứ trạch (West group of houses). For people with a Tây tứ mệnh (West group destiny), this is one of the four favourable directions; for people with a Đông tứ mệnh (East group destiny), it is an unfavourable direction, and how unfavourable depends on the cung phi (life palace number). To know which group you belong to, you have to calculate your cung phi from your lunar year of birth and your sex.
The table below looks up the eight cung phi against the Southwest direction, using the method of the house direction tool on the site.
| Cung phi | Group | Southwest direction is | Good or bad | Men born in | Women born in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khảm (1) | Đông tứ mệnh | Tuyệt Mệnh | bad | 1954, 1963, 1972, 1981, 1990, 1999, 2008 | 1950, 1959, 1968, 1977, 1986, 1995, 2004 |
| Khôn (2) | Tây tứ mệnh | Phục Vị | good | 1950, 1953, 1959, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2007 | 1951, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005 |
| Chấn (3) | Đông tứ mệnh | Họa Hại | bad | 1952, 1961, 1970, 1979, 1988, 1997, 2006 | 1952, 1961, 1970, 1979, 1988, 1997, 2006 |
| Tốn (4) | Đông tứ mệnh | Ngũ Quỷ | bad | 1951, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005 | 1953, 1962, 1971, 1980, 1989, 1998, 2007 |
| Càn (6) | Tây tứ mệnh | Diên Niên | good | 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003 | 1955, 1964, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2000, 2009 |
| Đoài (7) | Tây tứ mệnh | Thiên Y | good | 1957, 1966, 1975, 1984, 1993, 2002 | 1956, 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001 |
| Cấn (8) | Tây tứ mệnh | Sinh Khí | good | 1956, 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001 | 1954, 1957, 1963, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2008 |
| Ly (9) | Đông tứ mệnh | Lục Sát | bad | 1955, 1964, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2000, 2009 | 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003 |
So for the Southwest direction: Sinh Khí corresponds to the Cấn palace, Thiên Y to the Đoài palace, Diên Niên to the Càn palace, and Phục Vị to the Khôn palace. Meanwhile Tuyệt Mệnh corresponds to the Khảm palace, Họa Hại to the Chấn palace, Ngũ Quỷ to the Tốn palace, and Lục Sát to the Ly palace.
How do you calculate your cung phi to know whether the Southwest direction suits you?
The method used by the house direction tool on the site is as follows. Add the last two digits of your year of birth together and reduce them to a single digit. For men born before the year 2000, subtract that number from 10; for men born from 2000 onwards, subtract it from 9. For women born before the year 2000, add 5 to that number; for women born from 2000 onwards, add 6. Reduce the result to a single digit again.
Two things to keep in mind. First, the year used for the calculation is the lunar year, so someone born in January or February of the solar calendar but before Tết takes the previous year. Second, cung phi 5 has no trigram of its own: for men it is assigned to Khôn (2), for women to Cấn (8). So the Tây tứ mệnh group in fact consists of only four cung phi, namely Khôn (2), Càn (6), Đoài (7) and Cấn (8); the phrasing "trigram numbers 2, 5, 6, 7, 8" counts number 5 before it is reassigned.
To look up your own eight directions, go to the site's house direction tool and enter your lunar year of birth.
Why do the five elements method and the Bát Trạch method give two different conclusions?
Because the two methods measure two different things. Bát Trạch relies on the cung phi, calculated from year of birth and sex; the five elements method only compares the nạp âm (sound element) of the year's stem and branch with the element of the direction, and does not distinguish between men and women. As a result, a husband and wife born in the same year can have different cung phi, and the same direction can produce two opposite conclusions.
A few examples show where they diverge. A man born in 1970 (Canh Tuất, nạp âm Thoa Xuyến Kim, Metal element) has cung phi Chấn (3), a Đông tứ mệnh, so the Southwest direction is Họa Hại (bad); but compared by the five elements, Metal and Earth generate each other. A woman born in 1976 (Bính Thìn, Sa Trung Thổ, Earth element) has cung phi Ly (9), a Đông tứ mệnh, so the Southwest direction is Lục Sát (bad); but compared by the five elements, Earth and Earth are the same element.
The reverse also happens. A woman born in 1972 (Nhâm Tý, Tang Đố Mộc, Wood element) has cung phi Cấn (8), a Tây tứ mệnh, so the Southwest direction is Sinh Khí (good); but compared by the five elements, Wood and Earth overcome each other. A man born in 1974 (Giáp Dần, Đại Khê Thủy, Water element) has cung phi Cấn (8), a Tây tứ mệnh, so the Southwest direction is Sinh Khí (good); but compared by the five elements, Water and Earth overcome each other.
When the two methods diverge, the site's tool follows Bát Trạch. This article does not judge which method is correct.
By the five elements method, which destinies does the Southwest direction suit?
This is the second method, based on the nạp âm element of the year of birth compared with the element of the direction. The Southwest direction belongs to the Earth element according to the five elements of the Khôn trigram.
| Destiny (nạp âm) | Five elements relationship with the Southwest direction | Degree of suitability by the five elements method |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Fire generates Earth | Favourable |
| Earth | Same element | Favourable |
| Metal | Earth generates Metal | Supported, but not directly |
| Wood | Wood overcomes Earth | Take care |
| Water | Earth overcomes Water | Take care |
This method does not distinguish between men and women, so two people born in the same year always get the same conclusion.
What is a Southwest-facing house called in terms of trạch?
A Southwest-facing house sits to the Northeast, that is, its tọa (sitting side) is the Cấn palace. Bát Trạch Minh Kính names the trạch according to the sitting side, so this house is a Cấn trạch, belonging to the Tây tứ trạch. With the Southwest direction, the sitting side and the facing side are in the same group, so naming it by the sitting side or by the facing side gives the same group either way.
It should be said clearly that the books are not entirely consistent here. Bát Trạch Minh Kính names the trạch according to the sitting side, while the common approach and the site's tool consider the house direction, that is, the direction of the door, together with the eight du niên (eight life stages) of the cung phi. For the four directions East, West, Southeast and Northwest, these two approaches give two opposite groups; for North, South, Northeast and Southwest they coincide.
What should you keep in mind when choosing and arranging a Southwest-facing house?
On direction and position
- The Southwest direction usually catches the hot afternoon sun, especially in tropical climates. There should be shading and insulation solutions for the facade and windows on this side.
- If the main door or the living room faces Southwest, the main seat should be placed where you can see the entrance and with your back to a solid wall.
- The Southwest corner inside the house should not hold a toilet or cluttered storage.
On colours and materials
The suggestions below take the Earth element of the direction as their basis, that is, according to the five elements method.
- Warm earth tones such as yellow, cream and earth brown can be used for this area.
- Materials belonging to the Earth element can be used, such as ceramics, clay and plaster.
- By the five elements method, limit green (Wood element) and black or sea blue (Water element) in the Southwest area.
On rooms
According to Bát Trạch texts, the main door, the master bedroom and the kitchen are the three main elements of a dwelling, called the dương trạch tam yếu (three essentials of a house). For someone in a different cung phi group, the Bát Trạch remedy is to place the main door, bedroom and kitchen according to your own four favourable directions, rather than relying only on the house direction.
If you have to live in a Southwest-facing house that does not match your cung phi, you can prioritise arranging the main door, bedroom, kitchen and desk according to your own Sinh Khí, Thiên Y, Diên Niên and Phục Vị directions. Keeping the house clean and well ventilated is also worth doing, but it should not be treated as an absolute remedy for every case.
