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TL;DR: Xun house belongs to the East Group, suitable for people with Xun life palace (East Four Ming). Favorable directions include Sheng Qi (North), Tian Yi (East), Yan Nian (South), Fu Wei (Southeast); if the house is misaligned, remedies using life palace or interior layout can help.
Tốn Trạch (East Four Mansions) in Bát Trạch (Eight Mansions) feng shui: Characteristics and compatible directions
What are Bát Trạch and Tốn Trạch?
Bát Trạch (Eight Mansions) is a classical feng shui system of the Chinese, dividing dwellings into 8 directions based on the compass and the 8 life palaces of a person. This system rests on the principles of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements and the Kinh Dịch (I Ching), helping to determine the compatibility between the house direction (trạch) and the fate of the household head. Within it, East Four Mansions comprises 4 directions: Khảm (North), Ly (South), Chấn (East), Tốn (Southeast). Tốn Trạch is a house facing Southeast, corresponding to the Tốn trigram in the Bát Quái (Eight Trigrams), of the Mộc (Wood) element.
In Bát Trạch feng shui, each person has a life palace (also called a trigram number) calculated from their lunar birth year. Life palaces divide into two groups: East Four life palaces (Khảm, Ly, Chấn, Tốn) and West Four life palaces (Càn, Khôn, Cấn, Đoài). People belonging to the East Four life palaces should choose houses in East Four Mansions directions to receive much good energy. Tốn Trạch is specifically for people with the Tốn life palace, but it can also suit other East Four fates if the relationship between direction and fate is considered.
Characteristics of Tốn Trạch
Which element does Tốn Trạch belong to in the five elements?
Tốn Trạch belongs to the Mộc (Wood) element, symbolising growth, development, suppleness and flexibility. In nature, Mộc represents trees and wind (since Tốn is also the trigram of wind). Therefore, a house facing Tốn often brings a feeling of relaxation and comfort, creating conditions for career and education to develop. However, Mộc needs to be nourished by Thủy (Water), so if the house is near a river, lake or has water elements, so much the better. Conversely, Mộc overcomes Thổ (Earth), so avoid placing the house where the land is too barren or has too much stone.
Spatial and energy characteristics of Tốn Trạch
The Southeast direction is the direction of the rising sun in the morning, so Tốn Trạch receives gentle sunlight, helping the space stay bright and warm. The energy in a house facing Tốn is usually assessed as pure and pleasant, suitable for those who need concentration and creativity, such as pupils, students, artists or researchers. In Bát Trạch, the Tốn direction belongs to the East Four Mansions group, so when combined with the Tốn fate, it creates a harmonious energy field that supports health and spirit.
What does the Tốn trigram mean?
The Tốn trigram in the Kinh Dịch is the trigram "Tốn vi phong" (wind), a symbol of penetration and spreading. This meaning shows in the communication, persuasion and influence of the people living in a house facing Tốn. They often have a gift for speech and make friends easily, but they also need to be careful to avoid hesitation and indecisiveness, like the nature of wind.
Which life palaces suit Tốn Trạch?
According to Bát Trạch, each house direction has 4 auspicious stars and 4 inauspicious stars. For Tốn Trạch, the good and bad directions are determined based on the position of the stars. Below is a lookup table for people with the Tốn life palace:
| Direction | Star | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| North (Khảm) | Sinh Khí | Best, bringing luck, advancement, wealth |
| East (Chấn) | Thiên Y | Good for health, warding off illness |
| South (Ly) | Diên Niên | Good for affection, harmony in the household |
| Southeast (Tốn) | Phục Vị | Good for spirit, education, stability |
| Northwest (Càn) | Lục Sát | Bad, causing gossip, lawsuits |
| Northeast (Cấn) | Ngũ Quỷ | Bad, causing insomnia, illness |
| Southwest (Khôn) | Họa Hại | Bad, causing loss of wealth, quarrels |
| West (Đoài) | Tuyệt Mệnh | Very bad, causing dangerous illness, disaster |
People with the Tốn life palace (usually men born in 1953, 1962, 1971, 1980, 1989, 1998, 2007, 2016... and women born in 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003, 2012...) should choose a house facing Southeast (Tốn) or other East Four Mansions directions such as North, East, South. However, note that the method of calculating the life palace differs between men and women, so it is worth checking carefully against the specific birth year.
House direction, kitchen direction and bedroom direction of Tốn Trạch
Which direction is the Tốn Trạch house direction?
The house direction is determined as the direction looking from the main door outward. With Tốn Trạch, the main door should face Southeast or the good directions (North, East, South) to receive good energy. If the main door faces a bad direction (such as Northwest, West, Northeast, Southwest), the household head may encounter many troubles in life.
Where should the kitchen of Tốn Trạch be placed?
In Bát Trạch, the kitchen is considered the second most important place after the main door. The kitchen should be placed in good positions such as Sinh Khí, Thiên Y. For people with the Tốn fate, the kitchen should face North or East to attract wealth and health. Avoid placing the kitchen in the Tuyệt Mệnh (West) or Ngũ Quỷ (Northeast) direction, as this easily causes illness and drains energy.
Which direction should the bedroom of Tốn Trạch face?
The bedroom should be arranged in good palaces such as Phục Vị (Southeast) for good sleep and a comfortable spirit. The bed should be placed according to the good directions of one's own fate, for example people with the Tốn fate should have the head of the bed facing North or East. Avoid placing the bed in bad positions such as under a crossbeam or opposite a mirror.
How to remedy a house that deviates from the Tốn Trạch direction?
In practice, it is not always possible to choose a house with the right good direction. If your house does not belong to Tốn Trạch or faces a bad direction, it can still be remedied in some ways:
- Use a bát quái mirror: Hang a bát quái mirror at the main door to neutralise hostile energy from a bad direction, but be careful because a reflecting mirror can harm the house opposite.
- Place feng shui objects: Use objects of the Thủy (Water) element (fish tanks, paintings of rivers and water) or the Mộc (Wood) element (green plants) to strengthen good energy for Tốn Trạch.
- Adjust the interior: Rearrange the bedroom, work kitchen, or place of worship so that they lie within the good palaces of the house.
- Use colours: Use green, blue, black (the Thủy element) to support the Mộc fate, helping to balance energy.
However, remedies are only relative and cannot fully replace choosing a good house direction. You should combine them with other factors such as the year the house was built, the age of the household head and the surrounding environment to achieve the best effect.
However, feng shui is not the only factor determining destiny. Living in harmony with the environment, preserving health and making efforts in work remain the most important factors. Treat feng shui as a reference tool to improve the quality of life, and do not depend on it too much or fall into extreme superstition.
