Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain / CC0)
TL;DR: Sơn Giáp is the 6th mountain among the 24 mountains, located in the East direction from 67.5° to 82.5° (cung Chấn), it is a Địa nguyên long and is a yang stem with Mộc element. According to the song sơn ngũ hành of the Tam Hợp school, Giáp pairs with Mão and belongs to the Mộc cục together with Hợi, Mão, Mùi. In Huyền Không phi tinh, a house sitting Giáp facing Canh in vận 9 (2024 to 2043) is a cục song tinh đáo hướng. Each school reads sơn Giáp in its own way, so the same house direction can be interpreted differently.
What is the 24 mountain direction system and where does the Giap mountain sit?
The 24 mountain direction system is the core foundation of Dia Ly feng shui, widely used to determine the orientation of houses, graves, and architectural works. This system divides the 360 degree circle into 24 equal sectors, each spanning 15 degrees. This ring is made up of 12 earthly branches, 8 heavenly stems, and the 4 trigrams Can, Khon, Can, Ton. Only 8 heavenly stems appear because Mau and Ky both belong to Earth, corresponding to the central palace, and the central palace has no position on the compass ring. Together this makes exactly 24. It should also be noted that the four principal trigrams Kham, Ly, Chan, Doai have no mountains bearing their names, because those four positions are already occupied by the four branches Ty, Ngo, Mao, Dau.
In this system, the Giap mountain (甲) occupies the position from 67.5 degrees to 82.5 degrees on the compass. This is the 6th mountain among the 24, counting from Ty at true North in a clockwise direction. The Giap mountain lies in the East, belonging to the Chan palace according to the Later Heaven bagua. On the compass ring, the Giap mountain sits between the Can trigram (belonging to the Northeast, from 52.5 to 67.5 degrees) and the Mao mountain (true East, from 82.5 to 97.5 degrees). Geographically, the Giap mountain belongs to the East, yet it lies on the transitional boundary between the Northeast and true East, and this creates rather distinctive feng shui characteristics for this mountain.
What are the basic attributes of the Giap mountain?
What are the Five Elements and yin-yang of the Giap mountain?
The Giap mountain belongs to the Wood element, and carries a Yang nature. In the heavenly stem system, Giap is the first stem among the 10 heavenly stems, representing the beginning, the birth and growth of all things. As for season, Giap corresponds to Spring, the time when all things sprout and bud. As for color, Giap corresponds to the green of plants, the color of deep green leaves.
As a yang stem belonging to the Wood element, the Giap mountain carries strong, outward-facing energy, governing growth, expansion and advancement. The yang nature of Giap gives this mountain a tendency toward action, decisiveness, and rarely yielding before difficulties.
What are the triple harmony and three origins relationships of the Giap mountain?
In feng shui, the Giap mountain has important relationships with other mountains through the triple harmony formation and the three origins dragons. In terms of triple harmony, the Wood formation is created by the trio Hoi - Mao - Mui. According to the paired mountain Five Elements of the Tam Hợp (Triple Harmony) school, Giap pairs with Mao and belongs to the Wood formation together with Hợi Mão Mùi. Specifically:
| Mountain | Five Elements | Role in the Wood formation |
|---|---|---|
| Hoi | Water | The long life of Wood, playing the role of life force for the Wood formation |
| Mao | Wood | The peak prosperity of Wood, representing the height of energy |
| Mui | Earth | The tomb storehouse of Wood, where it is stored and accumulated |
The Giap mountain lies between the Hoi and Mao palaces on the triple harmony ring, serving as an intermediate mountain capable of connecting the energy between these two palaces. In practice, when using the Giap mountain, people usually consider its relationship with the Water formation (Hoi) and the Wood formation (Mao) in order to make interpretations.
As for the three origins dragons, the Giap mountain belongs to the Earth origin dragon. The three mountains sharing the East direction, in the order Earth, Heaven, Human origin dragon, are Giap (Earth), Mao (Heaven), At (Human). The middle mountain of this direction, that is the Heaven origin dragon, is Mao. According to the book Huyền Không Trạch Vận Tân Án, the Earth origin dragon includes the yang mountains Giap, Canh, Nham, Binh and the yin mountains Thin, Tuat, Suu, Mui. This affects the forward and reverse trajectories when setting up the mountain plate and direction plate in Huyền Không flying stars.
What is the meaning of the Giap mountain in the various feng shui schools?
In the Bát Trạch school, what does the Giap mountain mean?
The Bát Trạch school divides the 24 mountain directions into 8 large palaces according to the bagua, each palace containing 3 mountains. The Giap mountain belongs to the Chan palace (震), together with the two mountains Mao and At. The Chan palace in the bagua symbolizes thunder, shock, awakening and new beginnings. Chan is also connected to the eldest son in the family, and therefore the Giap mountain has a particular influence on the eldest son or the man who is the pillar of the household.
In Bát Trạch, the Chan palace belongs to the East four dwellings, and therefore the Giap mountain is considered to belong to the East four dwellings group. Those whose birth destiny belongs to the East four destinies (Chan, Ton, Ly, Kham palaces) are considered compatible with building a house facing the side where the Giap mountain lies. Conversely, those belonging to the West four destinies (Can, Khon, Can, Doai palaces) are usually not encouraged to use this direction as the main house direction.
In the Huyền Không flying stars school, how is the Giap mountain interpreted?
The Huyền Không school uses the 24 mountain directions to determine the fortune of a house through each 20 year period (one period). Each mountain direction has its own way of flying the stars, creating different star combinations. The Giap mountain belongs to the Earth origin dragon, a yang dragon, so when setting up the mountain plate and direction plate, the flying stars move in the forward direction. According to the book Huyền Không Trạch Vận Tân Án, in Huyền Không flying stars, the forward and reverse trajectories of the flying stars in the direction plate and mountain plate are governed by determining the yin and yang of the Three Origins Dragons. Specifically, the Earth origin dragon has the yang mountains Giap, Canh, Nham, Binh, and the yin mountains Thin, Tuat, Suu, Mui.
According to the Tham family school, a house sitting at Giap facing Canh in period 8 is the double star reaching the sitting position formation. A house sitting at Giap facing Canh in period 9 is the double star reaching the facing position formation. This is important information for interpreting fortune and misfortune for each specific period.
In the Huyền Không school, distinguishing between mountain and direction is extremely important. A house facing Giap (that is, the front facing the Giap direction) will be interpreted differently from a house sitting at Giap (its back resting on the Giap direction). Accurately determining the degree of the mountain direction (how many degrees within the 15 degree sector) will decide whether it belongs to the mountain or the direction, and from there affects the entire method of interpreting fortune and misfortune. According to some phong thuy texts, when using a compass in Huyền Không studies, one needs to grasp the key principle: the house direction must achieve a pure trigram, meaning it lies entirely within a single mountain, not split apart or encroaching on the neighboring mountain. This purity helps the calculation and application of the Huyền Không star plate become accurate.
In the Tam Hợp school, what role does the Giap mountain play?
The Tam Hợp school places particular emphasis on the relationship between the dragon vein, water methods and mountain direction. With the Giap mountain, this school considers the Wood formation in relation to the dragon vein coming from the Hoi direction and water gathering at the Mui direction. The important principle is that where the dragon comes from, water gathers there, and the mountain direction must correspond in order to achieve harmony.
Specifically, when the dragon vein enters from the Hoi direction (belonging to the Wood formation), the mountain direction should turn toward Giap or Mao to form a complete triple harmony configuration. Conversely, if the dragon comes from another direction not belonging to the Wood formation, using the Giap mountain may create conflict and reduce feng shui effectiveness. According to the book Huyền Không Trạch Vận Tân Án, the Tam Hợp school also considers setting the direction based on dragon and water. For example, when a Tuat dragon enters and Mui water flows away, both the incoming dragon and the departing water belong to the Yin of the Earth origin, so one needs to set a Yang direction of the Earth origin, and one may choose Canh mountain Giap direction, which will prosper strongly in period 6. This shows that the Giap mountain is also used in the direction-setting methods of the Tam Hợp school, combined with the specific period fortune.
How is the Giap mountain direction interpreted in practice?
How are the sitting mountain and direction determined?
In feng shui, the terms sitting mountain (that is, the mountain) and direction (that is, the facing) always go together. A house sitting at Giap facing Canh (that is, its back turned to the Giap direction, its face turned to the opposite Canh direction) is a commonly encountered combination. Conversely, a house sitting at Canh facing Giap also exists but is less common.
To determine accurately, people use a specialized compass, placed at the center point of the house, and measure the degree. If the degree falls within the range of 67.5 to 82.5 degrees, that is the Giap mountain. However, the boundary between mountains (about 3 degrees on each side) is called the empty line, usually avoided because it is considered an unstable energy zone.
How is it interpreted in relation to the dragon vein and water methods?
The Giap mountain is considered good when it gathers all of the following conditions:
- There is an affectionate dragon vein coming from the Northeast or true North direction (belonging to the Water or Earth element that generates Wood).
- There is gathered water or tidal water at the South or Southwest direction (fire drains the Wood energy, creating circulation).
- In front there is a spacious, open bright hall.
Conversely, the Giap mountain is considered poor when it encounters the following cases:
- The dragon vein comes from the West direction (Metal element overcoming Wood).
- The water method clashes straight on or turns its back at the opposite direction.
- There is a sharp, pointed object belonging to the Metal element stabbing straight in.
How does the Giap mountain affect health and career?
In feng shui interpretation, each mountain direction is linked to certain body parts and areas of life. The Giap mountain belongs to the Wood element, related to the liver, gallbladder, tendons and bones, and the eyes. Therefore, when the Giap mountain is violated or weakened, people usually predict issues related to the liver, eyes, or tendon and bone conditions.
As for career, the Giap mountain governs growth, starting a business and expansion. People living in a house with a prosperous Giap mountain often find it easier to succeed in fields related to education, culture, greenery, wooden furniture, or professions related to the Wood element. They tend toward leadership, pioneering and enjoy exploring new things.
The Giap mountain in relation to other mountains
What are the compatible and clashing relationships of the Giap mountain?
In the 24 mountain system, each mountain has relationships of compatibility or clash with other mountains. The Giap mountain has particularly compatible relationships with:
| Mountain | Relationship with Giap |
|---|---|
| Hoi | Belongs to the Wood triple harmony formation, Hoi generates Giap |
| Mao | Same Wood element, both belong to the triple harmony formation, strengthening each other's energy |
| At | Both belong to the Chan palace, but At is a yin stem, creating a yin-yang complementarity |
Conversely, the Giap mountain clashes with the Canh mountain (庚) because Canh belongs to the Metal element, overcoming the Wood of Giap, and these two mountains lie opposite each other on the compass (180 degrees apart). In practice, combining the Giap mountain and the Canh mountain in the same structure is usually avoided, because it creates internal conflict.
The Giap mountain in relation to house direction by age
Many people, when examining residential feng shui, are often concerned with whether the house direction is compatible with the age of the household head. The most common method is based on Bát Trạch minh kinh, combining the household head's destiny palace with the house direction. With the Giap direction belonging to the East four dwellings, household heads whose destiny palace is Chan, Ton, Ly, Kham will be considered compatible with the direction. However, it should be noted that this is only one perspective among countless feng shui factors that need to be considered.
Practice and notes when using the Giap mountain
What are the basic steps when interpreting the Giap mountain?
To fully interpret the Giap mountain, a feng shui practitioner needs to carry out the following steps:
- Accurately measure the degree of the mountain direction with a specialized compass, ensuring accuracy within about 0.5 degrees.
- Determine the current period fortune (from 2024 to 2043 is period 9, belonging to the Lower origin).
- Analyze the dragon vein from far to near, assess the land configuration, the direction of water flow and the water gathering position.
- Set up the Huyền Không flying star chart for the current period and future periods.
- Also consider the birth destiny of the household head and the family members.
- Cross-check with the surrounding landscape factors such as roads, electricity poles, large trees, neighboring structures.
What are the common mistakes when using the Giap mountain?
Some common mistakes when interpreting the Giap mountain to avoid:
- Relying only on the house direction while ignoring the sitting mountain, whereas feng shui always considers both of these factors simultaneously.
- Failing to distinguish the boundary between the Giap mountain and the Mao mountain or the Can mountain, leading to incorrectly determining the mountain direction.
- Rigidly applying the rule of which ages the Giap mountain is compatible with while ignoring the specific context of each house.
- Focusing too much on choosing a good direction without considering the dragon vein and water methods, two factors that many schools regard as more important than direction.
How is the Giap mountain read differently among the schools?
The Giap mountain does not have a single way of being read; rather, depending on the school, people emphasize different aspects. For the loan dau (landform) school, the focus is the configuration of mountains and rivers and the Five Elements of the dragon vein, and the Giap mountain is merely a name attached to a position for comparison with the land configuration. For the Tam Hợp school, the Giap mountain is read within the Hợi Mão Mùi Wood formation, paired with Mao, and used to set direction according to dragon and water. For the Huyền Không flying stars school, the Giap mountain is a yang Earth origin dragon, affecting the flying direction of the mountain plate and direction plate, and each period produces a different formation, such as period 8 sitting at Giap facing Canh being the double star reaching the sitting position, and period 9 being the double star reaching the facing position. For the Bát Trạch school, the Giap mountain simply belongs to the Chan palace, East four dwellings, used to match with the household head's destiny palace. One mountain, four ways of reading, producing four different layers of information, and the interpreter needs to know which school they are standing in to avoid mixing them up.
The important point to emphasize is that feng shui is not an absolutely exact science, and applying feng shui principles needs to be done flexibly, combined with modern science and an understanding of the actual living environment. Mountain direction is only one of many factors affecting the quality of human life, and its role should not be absolutized in deciding the fate or wealth of the household head.
