Hou Tian Pai Five Classifications (後天派五法分類精解)
The Five Classifications (五法分類) are the foundation of the Hou Tian Pai assessment framework. Before any star chart, door analysis, or element calculation can begin, the practitioner must first correctly classify the building type. This is because different building types have fundamentally different qi dynamics — a temple thrives on the very same sha energy that would harm a residence, and a factory's fortune depends on its product element rather than its sitting direction.
Why Five Classifications Exist
Traditional Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai) treats all buildings identically — the same wandering star matrix, the same auspicious/inauspicious star assignments. Master Li Hushan observed that this one-size-fits-all approach fails catastrophically for temples (which should receive inauspicious stars), factories (whose product element overrides compass readings), and multi-story buildings (where each floor has a different Master Star). The Five Classifications resolve this by providing a separate assessment methodology for each building type.
Comparative Overview
| Classification | Chinese | Element | Qi Type | Reference Point | Applicable Buildings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jing (Still) | 靜 | Metal 金 | 生旺之氣 (Birth-Prosperity) | Room as Host | Detached houses, courtyards, row houses, villas, rural homesteads |
| Lou (Multi-Story) | 樓 | Wood 木 | 生旺之氣 (Birth-Prosperity) | Star as Host | Walk-up apartments, elevator buildings, mixed-use towers |
| Shen (Temple) | 神 | Fire 火 | 煞旺之氣 (Sha-Prosperity) | Flipping Trigram | Buddhist temples, Daoist temples, shrines, ancestral halls |
| Gong (Factory) | 工 | Water 水 | — | BaGua as Host | Factories, workshops, warehouses, retail complexes |
| Feng (Yin House) | 風 | Earth 土 | 關旺之氣 (Gate-Prosperity) | Nine Stars Communication | Mountain burials, plain burials, waterside burials |
Jing (靜宅) — Still House: Seven Sub-Types
- Independent House (獨立住宅): Four open sides, own land, sitting direction determines Master Star.
- Courtyard Compound (四合院): Central courtyard gathers qi; compound gate is primary qi intake; each wing assessed individually.
- Row House (連棟住宅): Shared side walls, front-back openings only; narrow frontage creates linear qi flow.
- Semi-Detached (雙併住宅): One shared wall; each unit independently assessed but shared wall qi interaction must be evaluated.
- Rural Homestead (農舍): Open surroundings emphasise incoming dragon, departing water, and bright hall openness.
- Villa/Estate (別墅): Driveway as qi approach path; garden water features as gathering elements; multiple doors — most-used door is primary.
- Converted Warehouse (倉改宅): Original openings determine qi pattern; high ceilings need mezzanine to stabilise; residual industrial qi must be addressed.
Decision Flowchart
To classify a building, follow this sequence of questions:
- Is it a burial site? → Yes: Feng (風)
- Is it a religious or sacred space (temple, shrine, ancestral hall)? → Yes: Shen (神)
- Is it primarily for manufacturing, processing, or commercial production? → Yes: Gong (工)
- Is it a multi-story building with shared vertical circulation (stairwell/elevator)? → Yes: Lou (樓)
- None of the above → Jing (靜)
Practice Exercise: Classify These Buildings
- A 3-story shophouse in Penang with a ground-floor business and upper-floor residences. (Answer: Mixed Gong + Lou — commercial ground floor assessed as Gong, residential upper floors as Lou.)
- A renovated barn in rural Fujian used as a family home. (Answer: Jing — Converted Warehouse sub-type.)
- A 30-story apartment building in Taipei. (Answer: Lou — Elevator Building sub-type.)
- A small Mazu temple at a fishing village entrance. (Answer: Shen — similar to Earth God Shrine sub-type.)
- An ancestral tomb complex on a hillside in Guangdong. (Answer: Feng — Mountain Burial sub-type.)