Na Jia (納甲): Binding Heavenly Stems to Trigram Lines
Na Jia (納甲) is the classical technique of assigning Heavenly Stems (天干) to the six lines of each trigram. The word na (納) means to receive or absorb, while jia (甲) represents the entire set of Ten Stems by synecdoche. Originating in Han Dynasty Yi Jing scholarship, Na Jia was absorbed into Feng Shui practice through the Yang Gong lineage as a tool for determining the elemental quality of each directional sector in a building or burial site.
The standard Na Jia table assigns Heavenly Stems to each trigram position:
- Qian (乾) → Jia (甲)
- Kun (坤) → Yi (乙)
- Li (離) → Ren, and the Fire Frame branches (壬寅午戌)
- Kan (坎) → Gui, and the Water Frame branches (癸申子辰)
- Zhen (震) → Gen branches: Hai, Mao, Wei (亥卵未 — Wood Frame)
- Xun (巽) → Xin (辛)
- Gen (艮) → Bing (丙)
- Dui (兌) → Ding, and the Metal Frame branches (丁巳酉丑)
This mapping links every trigram to specific Earthly Branches and Twelve Growth Stage positions. In the Yang Gong Nine Star Water Method (楊公九星水法), Na Jia determines which incoming or outgoing water direction catalyzes officialdom (催官), attracting noble helpers (接貴人) to the household or burial site.
Na Qi (納氣): Receiving Qi by Directional Sector
Na Qi (納氣) addresses how each of the 24 Mountains and 8 Trigram positions receives temporal Qi based on the San Yuan Nine Periods (三元九運). The formula organizes the 24 mountains by their affinity with Upper Yuan (上元) or Lower Yuan (下元) of the 180-year triple cycle:
- Periods 1–4 (坎/坤/震/巽): belong to the Upper Yuan (上元)
- Period 5: treated as Upper Yuan for Qi purposes, Lower Yuan for water purposes
- Periods 6–9 (乾/兌/艮/離): belong to the Lower Yuan (下元)
In practice, the sitting direction receives the Qi of the Zero Spirit sector (零神) — the out-of-period trigram — while the facing direction should receive the Upright Spirit (正神) — the in-period trigram. The Na Qi formula specifies for each of the 24 mountains exactly which period's Qi it most readily absorbs, derived from the trigram's Early and Later Heaven pairing.
Twelve General Stars (十二將星) in Feng Shui
The Twelve General Stars (十二將星) classify the 24 Mountain directions according to their position within the Four Elemental Frames (四局 — Wood, Fire, Metal, Water). Each frame has a Birth Mountain (生山), Prosperous Mountain (旺山), and Tomb Mountain (墓山). Water entering at the Birth position and exiting at the Tomb position is considered the premier auspicious configuration, retaining Sheng Qi while allowing spent Qi to depart gracefully through the Tomb gate. This framework forms the backbone of San He water assessment and is essential for properly applying both the 120 Gold Divisions and the QKGB formation analysis.