Checking ages for building a house in the 2027 Đinh Mùi year: which ages hit Kim Lâu, Hoang Ốc, Tam Tai, and why the three are not the same

Why are Kim Lâu, Hoang Ốc and Tam Tai not one single method?

These three methods are independent of one another, each with its own calculation and its own meaning. Kim Lâu divides the nominal age by 9 to see whom in the household it harms, Hoang Ốc counts across six palaces by nominal age to see whether the house will be abandoned, while Tam Tai is calculated from the three-harmony earthly branch of the birth year compared with the year of the planned construction. So an age can offend Kim Lâu without offending Hoang Ốc, or offend Tam Tai while still passing the other two. Lumping the three methods into a single question is the wrong way to look them up.

It should also be said clearly from the outset: this is a widespread folk custom, not a mandatory rule. Feng shui experts quoted in the press hold that the important factors when building a house are favourable timing, favourable location, orientation and the energy of the land, while age is only a small part. Some views go further and hold that any age can build a house, the question is whether the land and orientation are prosperous at that moment.

Which ages fall in the Đinh Mùi year 2027?

The Đinh Mùi year 2027 has the earthly branch Mùi. By the common way of calculating Tam Tai, the ages in the three-harmony group Hợi, Mão, Mùi offend Tam Tai in the years Tỵ, Ngọ, Mùi. So in 2027, the age group Hợi, Mão, Mùi offends Tam Tai. This conclusion rests only on the earthly branch and does not depend on the heavenly stem Đinh.

The other two methods are not tied to a specific year but to each person's nominal age. So one cannot say that 2027 has a fixed list of ages offending Kim Lâu or Hoang Ốc; it must be calculated from the household head's nominal age in that year. Below are the calculations and lookup tables so you can check for yourself.

How is each method calculated, and what do the lookup tables look like?

Kim Lâu: take the nominal age and divide by 9

Take the lunar age (nominal age) and divide it by 9. If the remainder is 1, 3, 6 or 8, it offends Kim Lâu. If it divides evenly by 9 or gives other remainders, it does not offend. The meaning of each remainder:

• Remainder 1: offends Kim Lâu Thân, harming oneself.
• Remainder 3: offends Kim Lâu Thê, harming the wife.
• Remainder 6: offends Kim Lâu Tử, harming the children.
• Remainder 8: offends Kim Lâu Lục Súc, harming livestock.

Table of ages offending Kim Lâu, ready-reckoned according to the Tuổi Trẻ source: 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, 33, 35, 37, 39, 42, 44, 46, 48, 51, 53, 55, 57, 60, 62, 64, 66, 69, 71, 73, 75.

Hoang Ốc: counting six palaces on the hand

Hoang Ốc is divided into six palaces in order: Nhất cát (good, all matters flow smoothly), Nhị nghi (beneficial, the household head prospers), Tam địa sát (prone to illness), Tứ tấn tài (fortune and blessings both good), Ngũ thọ tử (prone to separation, affecting longevity), Lục hoang ốc (hard to complete the house, no success).

How to count: use the six knuckles of the fingers, starting from number 1 as Nhất cát and going in turn 2 Nhị nghi, 3 Tam địa sát, 4 Tứ tấn tài, 5 Ngũ thọ tử, 6 Lục hoang ốc. Age 10 starts from number 1, age 20 starts from number 2, age 30 starts from number 3, and for every additional 10 years of age the starting palace advances by one.

Table of ages offending Hoang Ốc, ready-reckoned according to the Tuổi Trẻ source: 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 45, 47, 48, 50, 51, 54, 56, 57, 60, 63, 65, 66, 69, 72, 74, 75.

Tam Tai: looked up by three-harmony earthly branch

• Ages Thân, Tý, Thìn: Tam Tai in the years Dần, Mão, Thìn.
• Ages Tỵ, Dậu, Sửu: Tam Tai in the years Hợi, Tý, Sửu.
• Ages Hợi, Mão, Mùi: Tam Tai in the years Tỵ, Ngọ, Mùi.
• Ages Dần, Ngọ, Tuất: Tam Tai in the years Thân, Dậu, Tuất.

What is the quick comparison table for the three methods?

Whose age in the household should be looked at?

Folk belief usually looks only at the man's age when building a house, with the saying "take a wife, look at the woman's age; build a house, look at the man's age". The common explanation rests on the theory of Yin, Yang and the Five Elements: the husband represents the yang nature, is the pillar, so the husband's age is taken to determine fortune or misfortune. This is a cultural convention, not a natural law, and many families today are more flexible, especially when the wife is the person named on the land title or is the main earner.

If your family follows the practice of looking at the husband's age, take the husband's lunar birth year, add one to get the nominal age in 2027, then look up the three tables above in turn. If you follow the practice of looking at the age of the person named on the property, substitute that person's birth year. This article does not assert that either way is absolutely correct, it only states clearly which convention is being followed.

If all three are offended, how should it be handled?

The common folk way of handling it is to borrow someone else's age to perform the ground-breaking. However, modern feng shui specialists hold that borrowing an age carries only psychological meaning, cannot neutralise the disadvantage, and can even create complications if someone else is asked to be named on the papers. The view quoted in the press is that there is no need to borrow an age to build a house; it is enough to ask a person with good fortune to break the ground on behalf of the household head, choosing a healthy middle-aged person, with no need to transfer the papers or ask someone else to raise the roof or set the ridge beam.

One further note: the building-year restriction is counted only for new construction or major repairs involving the foundations, re-roofing or adding a storey. Minor repairs and interior work do not require looking at ages. Buying a house to live in or to invest in also does not require looking at ages; it can be bought in any year.

What does preparing offerings for the ground-breaking ceremony include?

This is a reference list; each region and each family may add or omit items. You should also ask the elders in your clan or the person who conducts ceremonies locally so that it matches the customs where you live.

• Incense, candles, joss paper and votive offerings.
• A tray of five fruits, fresh flowers, betel and areca.
• Boiled chicken or roast pig, glutinous rice, bánh chưng or bánh tét depending on the region.
• White wine, tea, plain water.
• Salt, rice, a little clean soil or clean sand.
• A hoe, a small spade or a mason's trowel to make the ground-breaking gesture.
• A small table or a clean mat to arrange the offerings, a tray to hold them.

Safety note: burning incense, candles and joss paper must be placed on a tray or a heat-resistant object, kept away from flammable materials such as styrofoam, plastic, paint cans and temporary wiring. Do not burn joss paper inside the house or in a construction area with flammable materials. Extinguish the ash and candles completely before leaving.

What is the order of carrying out the ground-breaking ceremony?

Step 1: Choose the day and hour

Choose the day and hour according to the local lunar calendar or the instructions of the person conducting the ceremony. If the family intends to borrow someone to break the ground on their behalf, it must be agreed in advance who that person is, usually a healthy middle-aged person with good fortune.

Step 2: Arrange the offerings at the plot

Clean the area where the offering table will be placed, avoiding low-lying spots where water collects or the edge of the foundation pit. Arrange the offerings in a solemn order, incense and lamps in the middle or at the front, the fruit tray and offerings on either side. If the site is under construction, the ceremony area should be fenced off from the area with machinery and heavy materials.

Step 3: Light incense and pray

The officiant lights incense, bows and prays. The content of the prayer can be summarised by its main points: state the name of the household head, give the address of the plot, the date and hour of the ground-breaking, and ask the local earth deity and the spirits of the place to witness and bless the construction so that it goes smoothly and safely. There is no need to memorise a long text word for word; sincerity is enough, along with stating the necessary information clearly.

Step 4: Break the ground

After the prayer, the officiant uses a hoe or spade to dig one symbolic spadeful of earth at the chosen spot. In folk practice some places scatter salt and rice, some bury a little clean soil or sand. Afterwards joss paper may be burned; remember to keep the fire in a safe area and extinguish it completely.

Step 5: Finish and record

Clear away the offerings, and keep the papers, the date and hour of the ground-breaking and the name of the officiant for easy reference later. If the construction runs past Lunar New Year into the following year, this is normal for a large project, and one should not shorten a stage out of taboo and damage quality. The construction industry notes that the timing of the work must be based on the scale of the project first of all, and that starting work in the rainy season should be limited because laying foundations is difficult.

Which ages offend the restrictions when building a house in 2027?

The table below is calculated for the year 2027, by nominal age, that is, the age counting the year in the mother's womb. The three columns are three different calculations, not three names for one method: a person can offend in one column without offending in another.

Among the 63 ages from 18 to 80, there are 14 ages that offend none of these three restrictions.

What are the points to remember?

The three methods Kim Lâu, Hoang Ốc and Tam Tai are three different calculations and do not substitute for one another. In the Đinh Mùi year 2027, the age group Hợi, Mão, Mùi offends Tam Tai; while Kim Lâu and Hoang Ốc must be calculated from each person's nominal age. All of them are reference customs, which may differ by region and family, and no single way is the only correct one. The most important things remain the land, the orientation, the finances, the paperwork and the quality of the construction.