六壬法教

Technical Reference Table

This table maps the 28 constellations, categorized by the **Four Symbols** (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise).

Historical Background (二十八宿的歷史)

The Twenty-Eight Mansions (二十八宿 Èr Shí Bā Xiù ) are one of the oldest astronomical systems in Chinese civilization, with roots stretching back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE) oracle bone inscriptions and becoming fully systematized during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE). They represent the 28 segments of the sky along the ecliptic — the apparent path of the Sun and Moon — through which the Moon passes during its approximately 27.32-day sidereal orbit.

Unlike the Western zodiac which tracks the Sun's annual journey, the Chinese mansion system tracks the Moon's monthly journey . Each mansion corresponds roughly to one day of the lunar month, making the system fundamentally lunar rather than solar. This distinction is critical for understanding its application in Chinese metaphysics.

During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), the 28 Mansions became integral to state ritual and governance. Astronomers at the imperial observatory used them to:

• Track celestial omens — planetary conjunctions within specific mansions were interpreted as portents for the empire
• Regulate the calendar — the mansions helped calibrate the lunisolar calendar used for agriculture and ritual timing
• Conduct state rituals — the emperor's ceremonies were timed according to the Moon's position among the mansions
• Military strategy — generals consulted the mansions for auspicious timing of campaigns

The Four Celestial Animals (四象 Sì Xiàng)

The 28 Mansions are organized into four groups of seven , each governed by one of the Four Celestial Animals (四象 Sì Xiàng ) — mythological creatures that guard the four cardinal directions. This grouping connects celestial observation to terrestrial Feng Shui orientation:

The Four Palaces — Detailed (四宮詳解)

Each of the 28 Mansions has a guardian animal spirit , a day element corresponding to one of the Seven Luminaries (七曜 Qī Yào : Sun, Moon, and five visible planets), and an inherent auspicious or inauspicious nature for date selection. The Seven Luminaries cycle maps each mansion to a celestial body and its associated element:

🐉 Azure Dragon of the East — 東方青龍 (Dōng Fāng Qīng Lóng)

Season: Spring  |  Element: Wood  |  Mansions: #1 – #7

The Azure Dragon rises in spring and governs growth, expansion, and new beginnings. Its seven mansions trace the constellation from horn to tail along the eastern sky.

🐢 Black Tortoise of the North — 北方玄武 (Běi Fāng Xuán Wǔ)

Season: Winter  |  Element: Water  |  Mansions: #8 – #14

The Black Tortoise (often depicted as a tortoise entwined with a snake) governs the dormant, conserving energy of winter. Its mansions are associated with depth, stillness, and hidden power.

🐅 White Tiger of the West — 西方白虎 (Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ)

Season: Autumn  |  Element: Metal  |  Mansions: #15 – #21

The White Tiger governs the contracting, harvesting energy of autumn. Its mansions are associated with martial strength, judgement, and the power of Metal — cutting through illusion to reach decisiveness.

🐦 Vermilion Bird of the South — 南方朱雀 (Nán Fāng Zhū Què)

Season: Summer  |  Element: Fire  |  Mansions: #22 – #28

The Vermilion Bird embodies the radiant, expansive energy of summer. Its mansions govern visibility, expression, and transformation — associated with the peak of Yang energy before the cycle returns to Yin.

Application in Feng Shui (風水中的二十八宿)

The 28 Lunar Mansions are not merely astronomical markers — they are active tools in several advanced Feng Shui methodologies. Their application bridges the celestial and terrestrial realms, allowing the practitioner to align human activity with cosmic timing.

San He Luopan — The 28-Mansion Ring (二十八宿盤)

On the traditional San He Luopan (三合羅盤), the 28 Mansions occupy a dedicated ring that maps each mansion to a specific angular range on the compass. This ring serves several critical functions:

• Water Mouth Measurement (消水口) — The mansion ring determines which celestial mansion governs the point where water enters or exits a site. An auspicious mansion at the water mouth indicates prosperous Qi flow.
• Mountain Dragon Alignment (來龍) — The incoming mountain range (dragon) is measured against the mansion ring to verify its celestial quality.
• Sitting-Facing Verification (坐向) — The building's orientation is cross-referenced with the mansion ring to ensure the structure "sits" in a supportive celestial sector.

Xuan Kong Da Gua Calculations (玄空大卦)

In the Xuan Kong Da Gua (玄空大卦) school, the 28 Mansions are used to refine the 64 Hexagram ring on the Luopan. Each mansion's boundaries help determine where one hexagram's influence ends and another begins. This is particularly important for:

• Pearl String Formation (三般卦) — Verifying that sitting, facing, and water positions form a harmonious "string" across the hexagram-mansion interface
• Parent-Child Relationships (父母子息) — The mansion govering a hexagram's position indicates whether the relationship between mountain and water is generative or destructive
• Golden Dragon Position (正神零神) — The mansion at the "zero spirit" position activates wealth potential when properly aligned with water features

Yin House Feng Shui (陰宅風水)

The 28 Mansions are especially critical in Yin House (burial) Feng Shui, where precision to the single degree matters. Key applications include:

• Locking the Dragon (鎖龍) — Aligning the tomb's headstone to an auspicious mansion degree ensures the deceased is protected by the celestial order and the descendants receive positive Qi.
• Heavenly Star Method (天星風水) — This advanced technique maps each mansion to a specific type of luck (wealth, descendants, career) based on which celestial body governs that mansion's day element.
• Avoiding Empty Mansions (空亡) — Orientations that fall on the boundary between two mansions are considered "empty" and must be avoided, similar to the Big Void in the 72 Dragons system.

Application in Ze Ri Date Selection (擇日中的二十八宿)

One of the most widespread practical applications of the 28 Mansions is in Ze Ri (擇日 — Date Selection). Each day of the lunar calendar is governed by one of the 28 Mansions in a repeating cycle, and the mansion of the day heavily influences which activities are favored or forbidden.

The 28-Mansion Day Cycle

The mansions cycle through the days in a fixed sequence: 角, 亢, 氐, 房, 心, 尾, 箕, 斗, 牛, 女, 虛, 危, 室, 壁, 奎, 婁, 胃, 昴, 畢, 觜, 參, 井, 鬼, 柳, 星, 張, 翼, 軫 — then the cycle repeats. Since the cycle length (28) does not divide evenly into the solar year (365.25), each mansion "drifts" through the solar calendar, appearing on different dates each year. This is why the Chinese Tong Shu (通書 — Almanac) is essential for practitioners.

Activity Suitability by Mansion Day

The following table summarizes the classical guidance from the Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu (《協紀辨方書》) on which activities are favored or prohibited on each mansion day:

Interaction with the 12 Day Officers (建除十二神)

In advanced date selection, the 28-Mansion day is cross-referenced with the Jian Chu Twelve Day Officers (建除十二神 Jiàn Chú Shí Èr Shén ) system. The Day Officers cycle through: 建 (Establish), 除 (Remove), 滿 (Full), 平 (Balance), 定 (Stable), 執 (Hold), 破 (Break), 危 (Danger), 成 (Success), 收 (Receive), 開 (Open), 閉 (Close).

The ideal date for any activity occurs when:

1. The 28-Mansion day is auspicious for that activity
2. The Day Officer is favorable (e.g., 成 "Success" or 開 "Open" for business)
3. The day does not conflict with the person's BaZi (Four Pillars)
4. The Shen Sha (神煞 — spirit markers) of the day are supportive

Classical Reference (經典參考)

Authoritative Source Texts

Complete Animal & Element Summary (二十八宿禽星表)

The 28 Mansion Animal-Day System (禽星 Qín Xīng ) assigns each mansion a guardian animal and a day of the week corresponding to the Seven Luminaries. In the traditional system, these are used both for date selection and for personality divination based on one's birth mansion. The full mapping is: