Ce Ying San He (側映三合) — Lateral Three Harmonies
Ce Ying San He (側映三合) is the advanced San He variant developed for sites with oblique dragon and water vectors — terrain features that do not align with cardinal or inter-cardinal compass directions. When the dragon, water, and sitting direction cannot be configured within the standard four water frames, Ce Ying provides a rotational projection method to find the effective water frame alignment.
When Standard San He Is Insufficient
Classical San He assumes that dragon, water, and sitting direction all align within one elemental triad. In real terrain, this is often impossible — the dragon arrives from a non-standard angle, or the water exits at an irregular bearing. Ce Ying addresses three common non-standard scenarios:
- Oblique Dragon: The main dragon vein arrives at an angle between the standard 24-mountain positions
- Irregular Water Mouth: The water exit bearing falls between standard mountain positions on the Luopan
- Split Terrain: Secondary dragon and water vectors create a lateral (side) rather than frontal energy flow
The Ce Ying Projection Method
Ce Ying uses the Heaven Plate (+7.5° offset) to project the water mouth direction onto the nearest standard San He triad position. The lateral offset (the deviation from the standard mountain position) is measured and compensated through the choice of which plate to prioritise:
- For oblique dragon: use the Earth Plate reading adjusted by the Ce Ying correction factor
- For irregular water mouth: measure on the Heaven Plate (+7.5°), then check which of the four water frames it falls within
- For split terrain: apply the Human Plate (−7.5°) for sand assessment, then reconcile with water mouth reading
Practical Application
Ce Ying is primarily used in urban and suburban settings where strict four-guardian terrain formation is impossible. It allows practitioners to extract usable San He analysis from irregular sites by identifying the effective water frame despite imperfect directional alignment.