The Zang Shu (藏書) — Foundation of All Feng Shui
The Zang Shu (藏書, Book of Burial), authored by Guo Pu (郭璎, 276–324 CE) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, is considered the oldest systematic text on Feng Shui and the theoretical foundation upon which all subsequent schools were built. The text's opening line encapsulates the entire discipline: 葬者，藏也，乘生氣也 — To bury is to store; the objective is to ride on Sheng Qi. This establishes three interlocking principles: burial as preservation, site selection as the search for Sheng Qi, and the dynamic riding of that Qi rather than merely being near it.
The Core Principle: Qi Stops at Water
Guo Pu's second foundational principle is quoted in virtually every Feng Shui text that followed: 氣乘風則散，界水則止 — Qi disperses when encountering wind; it stops at the boundary of water. This principle explains both the ideal landform configuration (a site sheltered from wind on three sides by mountain embraces) and the critical importance of water as natural Qi retainers. The classical ideal — Bright Hall (明堂) in front with gentle water embrace, Tortoise Mountain (玄武) behind for support, Azure Dragon (青龍) and White Tiger (白虎) on left and right — flows directly from this principle.
Resonance: Bones, Qi, and Descendants
The mechanism by which an auspicious burial benefits living descendants is explained through resonance: 人受體於父母，本骸得氣，遗體受辭 — Man receives his body from his parents; when the ancestral bones receive Qi, the living descendants are endowed. Because parents and children share the same biological origin, the Qi absorbed by the ancestral bones transmits beneficial influence to the living. The classical analogy given by Guo Pu: when a copper mountain collapsed in the West, the palace bell spontaneously tolled in the East — objects of the same substance resonate across distance.
Five Prohibitions: Mountains Unsuitable for Burial
The Zang Shu and subsequent classics enumerate Five Mountain Types where burial is strictly prohibited:
- Tong Shan (童山) — Bare Mountain: devoid of vegetation, indicating absence of living Qi in the soil.
- Duan Shan (斷山) — Broken Mountain: severed ridges with no continuous Dragon vein; Qi is interrupted.
- Shi Shan (石山) — Rocky Mountain: solid rock prevents Qi from circulating and accumulating underground.
- Guo Shan (過山) — Transitional Mountain: a ridge in transit with no stable resting point; Qi passes through without settling.
- Du Shan (獨山) — Solitary Mountain: standing alone without embracing attendant peaks, fully exposed to wind from all sides.
Yin House versus Yang House
The fundamental distinction between Yin House (陰宅, burial site) and Yang House (陽宅, dwelling for the living) lies in mechanism and timescale. Yin House Feng Shui operates through the resonance channel between ancestral bones and living descendants, producing effects that manifest across multiple generations. Yang House Feng Shui operates through the daily interaction of inhabitants with directional Qi flows, ambient mountain and water formations, and room-level energy. Yin House orientation requires the maximum precision of the 120 Gold Divisions; the Na Yin of the deceased's birth year governs orientation selection. Burial timing (擇日) must also harmonize with the site's Qi cycle to ensure the initial infusion of Sheng Qi is optimal.