Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain / CC0)
TL;DR: Shen mountain direction belongs to the Shen-Zi-Chen trine, with the Water element, located in the Kun palace (southwest) of the 24 mountain directions. Shen mountain and Shen facing directions are used to determine the orientation of houses and graves, often associated with intelligence, communication, and flexibility in feng shui.
What is the Than Mountain in the 24 mountain directions?
In Eastern feng shui, the system of 24 mountain directions is a sophisticated tool for measuring orientation, widely used in the La Kinh (feng shui compass) to determine the direction of a house, a grave, a desk or important architectural works. This system divides the 360-degree ring of the compass into 24 equal parts, each spanning 15 degrees, and each part is named after one of the heavenly stems, earthly branches or trigrams in Eastern culture.
Among the 24 mountain directions, 8 mountains carry the name of Heavenly Stems (Giap, At, Binh, Dinh, Canh, Tan, Nham, Quy), 4 mountains carry the name of trigrams (Can, Khon, Can, Ton) and 12 mountains carry the name of Earthly Branches (Ty, Suu, Dan, Mao, Thin, Ty, Ngo, Mui, Than, Dau, Tuat, Hoi). The Than mountain belongs to the group of 12 Earthly Branches, the 9th branch in the 12-animal cycle, representing the Monkey in Eastern culture.
In terms of orientation, the Than mountain sits in the Southwest area of the compass, within the Khon palace. Specifically, the Than mountain occupies roughly 232.5 degrees to 247.5 degrees on the feng shui compass (measured clockwise from North). If measured by cardinal direction, the Than mountain lies between the Southwest and the West, leaning more toward the Southwest. This position places the Than mountain right after the Mui mountain (belonging to the Khon palace) and before the Canh mountain (belonging to the Doai palace), forming a continuous chain within the 24-mountain ring.
The Five Elements and three-harmony of the Than mountain
The Than mountain belongs to the Water element in the Five Elements, an important factor determining how this mountain interacts with others. In Five Elements theory, Water represents flexibility, wisdom, communication and flow. Works or houses with the Than mountain or Than direction are often said to carry the energy of suppleness, adaptability and clear thinking.
What is special about the Than mountain is that it lies within the Than-Ty-Thin three-harmony group. Three-harmony is an important concept in feng shui and Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology), in which three earthly branches 120 degrees apart are considered to have a strong mutual relationship, forming a complete configuration. The Than-Ty-Thin three-harmony includes:
| Mountain | Zodiac animal | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Than | Monkey | 240 degrees (Southwest) |
| Ty | Rat | 0 degrees (due North) |
| Thin | Dragon | 120 degrees (Southeast) |
These three mountains combined form the Water three-harmony group, because all three belong to the Water element in na am Five Elements or have a close connection with Water. In feng shui, the Than-Ty-Thin three-harmony group is often used to determine supportive relationships between orientations, as well as to interpret the flow of energy in a living space.
What is the symbolic meaning and character of the Than mountain?
According to folk belief and feng shui studies, the Monkey (Than) carries many layers of symbolic meaning. In Eastern culture, the Monkey is seen as an intelligent, agile, lively animal with high adaptability. These traits are translated into the feng shui meaning of the Than mountain, creating an orientation said to carry the energy of flexibility and wisdom.
The Than mountain belongs to the Water element and lies in the Khon palace (Southwest), the palace representing mother earth, nurturing and the yin-nurturing quality in the Later Heaven bagua. The combination of Water (flexible, wise) and the Khon palace (nurturing, tolerant) creates an orientation with a special character: it carries both the softness of water and the solidity of earth. This makes the Than mountain an orientation considered suitable for spaces that need a balance between stillness and movement, between thought and action.
In the yin-yang classification system, the Than mountain belongs to the yang branches (the branches with odd numbers in the order of the 12 earthly branches). This yang character combined with the Water element creates a form of energy described as "yang water", meaning water that flows strongly, clearly and with direction, as opposed to "yin water", which is still, deep water. The yang water of the Than mountain is often associated with career, reputation and clear advances in life.
How do the Than mountain and the Than direction differ?
In feng shui, the concepts of "mountain" and "direction" are often confused with each other, but in reality they have completely different meanings. The mountain (also called the sitting mountain) is the orientation behind a work, the place it leans on, while the direction is the orientation in front, the place that receives energy. For example, a house with the Than mountain means the back of the house lies in the Than orientation (about 240 degrees), while the direction of the house will lie opposite the mountain, that is, the Dan orientation (about 60 degrees). Conversely, a house with the Than direction means the front of the house faces the Than orientation, and the mountain will be Dan at the back.
Determining the Than mountain and direction in practice requires high precision. When using a feng shui compass (La Kinh) or an ordinary compass, one needs to measure at the central position of the work, avoiding metal objects or electronic devices that cause magnetic interference. The measured result is calculated in degrees, then compared against the table of 24 mountain directions. If the measurement falls within 232.5 to 247.5 degrees, that orientation is identified as the Than mountain (or Than direction depending on the measurement position).
An important note is that within the 15-degree span of the Than mountain, people further divide it into 3 parts of 5 degrees each, called the three divisions. The three divisions of the Than mountain include: the first part (near the Mui mountain), the middle part (the exact center of the Than mountain) and the last part (near the Canh mountain). Each part has different meanings and ways of interpretation in feng shui schools such as Huyền Không or Bát Trạch.
How is the Than mountain and direction applied in reading house directions?
In feng shui practice, the Than mountain and direction are applied in many different contexts, from reading the direction of homes and graves to interior arrangement and choosing the direction of a desk. However, the way of interpreting the Than mountain and direction cannot be separated from the overall context of the work, including the period cycle (era), the fate of the household head and surrounding environmental factors.
In the Bát Trạch school (the eight-palace house school), the Than mountain belongs to the Khon palace, one of the 8 palaces of the Later Heaven bagua. The Khon palace belongs to the West four dwellings, therefore a house with the Than mountain (or a mountain belonging to the West four dwellings) is considered suitable for people of the West four fates, that is, people whose trigram number belongs to the West group (Can, Khon, Can, Doai). People of the West four fates usually have certain solar birth years, and accurately determining the trigram number is an important step before choosing a house direction with the Than mountain.
In the Huyền Không Flying Star school, the Than mountain and direction are interpreted based on the combination between the period energy of the era (currently period 9, from 2024 to 2043) and the sitting and facing of the work. Each mountain and direction has its own flying star combination, creating different good and bad meanings. For instance, in period 9, a house sitting Than facing Dan or sitting Dan facing Than will have certain star combinations, and the interpreter needs to carefully analyze the interaction between the stars to give an accurate assessment.
How is the Than mountain and direction interpreted in specific cases?
A house sitting Than facing Dan is often considered to belong to the Water group in the Than-Ty-Thin three-harmony. For household heads with a Water fate or Wood fate (because Water generates Wood), this direction is considered relatively suitable. Conversely, household heads with a Fire fate may face more challenges, because Water overcomes Fire, requiring appropriate adjustment or resolution.
A house sitting Dan facing Than lies in the Fire group of the Dan-Ngo-Tuat three-harmony, because Dan belongs to the Fire element in this three-harmony. Although the Dan mountain belongs to Fire, the Than direction directly faces the Than orientation of the Water element, creating a mutual overcoming between the direction (Water) and the mountain (Fire). In feng shui, the mutual overcoming between mountain and direction needs to be considered carefully, because it can create an energy imbalance. However, if well resolved through the arrangement of suitable objects or colors, this mutual overcoming can be transformed into a driving force for development.
In the case of a house with the Than mountain but a direction that is not Dan (for example, a direction leaning toward neighboring mountains), the interpretation becomes more complex. Feng shui studies divide into main sitting and facing (exactly at the center of the mountain) and combined sitting and facing (leaning toward the adjacent mountain). A house sitting Than combined with Mui or sitting Than combined with Canh will have its own interpretation rules, usually discussed in detail in specialized documents on Huyền Không studies.
What does the Than mountain and direction mean in yin dwelling feng shui (graves)?
Not only applied to yang dwelling (houses), the Than mountain and direction are also used in yin dwelling feng shui, that is, determining the direction of graves for the deceased. In yin dwelling, choosing the mountain and direction is considered extremely important because it is believed to affect the rest of the deceased as well as the blessings passed on to descendants.
A grave sitting Than facing Dan is often chosen when the area behind (at the Than mountain) has high, solid terrain, which may be hills or mounds to lean on. The front (at the Dan direction) should have water (river, lake, pond) or open space to gather energy. Conversely, a grave sitting Dan facing Than will need a backing at Dan behind and a spacious bright hall at Than in front.
Yin dwelling feng shui schools often focus on the coordination between the dragon vein (the flow of earth energy), sand and water (surrounding mountains and water) and sitting and facing. The Than mountain belongs to the Water element so it is considered relatively compatible with areas that have tides or terrain near rivers and water, but one should also avoid places where water flows swiftly or has a direct water current causing clashing.
The combination of the Than mountain with other factors in interpretation
When interpreting the meaning of the Than mountain and direction, a feng shui researcher cannot rely on this orientation alone but needs to consider its interaction with many other factors. One of the important factors is the yearly fate of the household head, determined through the lunar birth year and gender. Each person has their own trigram number, and this trigram number determines whether they belong to the East four fates or West four fates group, from which the corresponding good and bad directions are identified.
In addition, the combination of the Than mountain with other mountains in the same work also needs to be considered. For example, if the main door of the house is in the Than direction but the main bedroom lies in a different orientation, then the overall energy of the house will be a complex combination of many factors, which cannot be reduced to a single mountain and direction.
The time factor also plays an important role in interpreting the Than mountain and direction. Huyền Không feng shui divides time into periods (each period 20 years) and years (each year). Depending on each period and each year, the good and bad fortune of the Than mountain and direction can change. For instance, in years belonging to the Fire element (Ngo year, Ty year), the Than mountain of the Water element may be weakened because Fire overcomes Water, while years belonging to the Metal element (Than year, Dau year) are favorable for Water because Metal generates Water.
What should be noted when applying the Than mountain and direction?
In modern feng shui research circles, there are many different views on the degree of influence of mountain and direction in general and the Than mountain and direction in particular. Some traditional schools place heavy emphasis on the role of mountain and direction in determining the fate of the household head, while more modern schools tend to see mountain and direction as only one of many factors to consider, alongside architectural design, natural light, ventilation and the overall living environment.
Notably, many modern researchers point out that relying too heavily on mountain and direction while ignoring other scientific factors such as air quality, light, humidity and functionality can lead to unreasonable decisions. Therefore, the balanced approach recommended by many experts is to combine traditional feng shui knowledge with modern design principles, ensuring that the living space is both harmonious in energy and well suited to people's practical needs.
Another important note is that determining the Than mountain and direction needs to be done by people with experience and professional knowledge, because a small error in the measurement process can lead to completely different conclusions. The boundary between the Than mountain and the neighboring mountains (Mui, Canh) is only exactly the 15-degree boundary apart, and determining it wrongly by even 1 or 2 degrees can cause the interpretation to go off course.
