Form & Landscape (Luan Tou)
Observing Mountain-Water Forms · Finding Dragon & Cave
1. Four Symbols Pattern
The Form School uses the Four Symbols to define surrounding terrain, originating from stellar worship:
| Symbol | Direction | Form Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Black Tortoise | Back (N) | Tall and stable, like a backing mountain, supports people |
| Vermilion Bird | Front (S) | Open and bright, water embracing, brings wealth |
| Azure Dragon | Left (E) | Higher than Tiger, embracing, masculine, noble helpers |
| White Tiger | Right (W) | Lower than Dragon, tamed, feminine, peace |
Mnemonic: "Left Azure Dragon, Right White Tiger, Front Vermilion Bird, Back Black Tortoise." Dragon should be active; Tiger should be still. Better Dragon high as ten thousand zhang than Tiger raising its head.
2. Sha (Sand) Method
Sha refers to hills/buildings around the cave. Types include:
- An Shan (Desk Mountain): Low hill before the cave, like a desk
- Chao Shan (Court Mountain): Tall mountain afar, facing the cave
- Le Shan (Joy Mountain): Mountain behind, backing
- Dragon-Tiger Sha: Left-right embracing hills
- Water Outlet Sha: Hills at water outlet, should lock tightly
Auspicious Sha: upright, round, embracing, affectionate. Inauspicious: crooked, broken, turned-away.
3. The Five Elements of Mountain Forms🔒 Five Forms
Read a mountain by its shape first. Its element comes not from direction but from the form of its summit: round is Metal, straight is Wood, winding is Water, pointed is Fire, square is Earth. The form fixes the nature, and the nature tells you what it produces — Wood scholars, Fire warriors, Earth wealth, Metal rank, Water wits. Tap a form below.
"Wood straight, Metal curved, Earth sprawling wide;
Fire peaks are sharp and bloom toward the south;
Water is like a gliding snake —
so speak of the Five Elements with the masters."
— Bu Yingtian, Xue Xin Fu (Tang dynasty)
Fire peaks are sharp and bloom toward the south;
Water is like a gliding snake —
so speak of the Five Elements with the masters."
— Bu Yingtian, Xue Xin Fu (Tang dynasty)
Metal Form
Element 金
Star: Wu Qu
- How it looks
- Rounded summit like an overturned cauldron or a half-moon
- Character of its energy
- Pure and firm, upright in form, without break or slant
- What it brings
- Chiefly wealth and rank — officials, authority, a distinguished house
- Watch out for
- A broken or jagged summit ruins much of its value
Wood Form
Element 木
Star: Literary Star
- How it looks
- Tall and upright, straight as a tablet or brush, summit slightly round
- Character of its energy
- Elegant and upright, benevolent — square and straight is noble
- What it brings
- "Wood breeds scholars" — letters, examinations, academia
- Watch out for
- It should show joints — too lean and swaying means poverty and loneliness
Water Form
Element 水
Star: Elegant Star
- How it looks
- Rippling repeated peaks, like waves or a gliding snake
- Character of its energy
- Soft and winding, resourceful — often in flat land, hard to describe
- What it brings
- Bright, resourceful, skilled in strategy and dealings — can also bring rank
- Watch out for
- Most dragons run with water — often a travelling dragon, not a cave; look for qi pooling
Fire Form
Element 火
Star: Lian Zhen
- How it looks
- Sharp fiery summit like a flame, a bamboo shoot or a ploughshare
- Character of its energy
- Arid and restless, fierce in nature — unwise to sit too close
- What it brings
- Fire forms raise military eminence — warriors, officers — and letters too
- Watch out for
- Usually an ancestor mountain, rarely a cave site — needs layer-by-layer transformation
Earth Form
Element 土
Star: Heavenly Wealth
- How it looks
- Flat square summit, massive as a desk, an upturned tray or a cupboard
- Character of its energy
- Deep and level, carrying all things — square and thick is noble
- What it brings
- "Earth prospers herds and fields" — land, property, great wealth
- Watch out for
- Easily confused with a fallen Wood — check whether a saddle rises
One line to remember: Metal round, Wood straight, Water winding, Fire pointed, Earth square. Tap any form above for the full reading.
| Form | Shape | Energy | Fortune |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Form | Round —— Rounded summit like an overturned cauldron or a half-moon | Pure and firm, upright in form, without break or slant | Chiefly wealth and rank — officials, authority, a distinguished house |
| Wood Form | Straight —— Tall and upright, straight as a tablet or brush, summit slightly round | Elegant and upright, benevolent — square and straight is noble | "Wood breeds scholars" — letters, examinations, academia |
| Water Form | Curved —— Rippling repeated peaks, like waves or a gliding snake | Soft and winding, resourceful — often in flat land, hard to describe | Bright, resourceful, skilled in strategy and dealings — can also bring rank |
| Fire Form | Pointed —— Sharp fiery summit like a flame, a bamboo shoot or a ploughshare | Arid and restless, fierce in nature — unwise to sit too close | Fire forms raise military eminence — warriors, officers — and letters too |
| Earth Form | Square —— Flat square summit, massive as a desk, an upturned tray or a cupboard | Deep and level, carrying all things — square and thick is noble | "Earth prospers herds and fields" — land, property, great wealth |
Transformation is what counts: Xue Xin Fu says "the worth of a peak lies in its transformation." A good dragon changes form layer by layer — Fire begets Earth, Earth begets Metal, Metal begets Water — growing finer as it descends, until the cave sits in a round, clean, upright form. A single pretty peak means little; read the whole route it travelled.
Fire usually stands as the ancestor mountain: "Fire peaks rise high and are unmatched in nobility," yet being arid and fierce they rarely hold a cave. Usually they are the ancestor mountain, the source of the whole vein, sending nobility down through layer after layer of transformation. A sharp fire peak pressing on a house without transformation brings heat, disputes and fire risk — soften it with water or planting.
When all five gather: When all five forms are present among the surrounding peaks and every one of them turns toward the bright hall, the old texts call it "the assembly of the five stars — a site for kings and marquises." In practice: a mix of round, straight, winding, pointed and square forms, all facing you with affection, means the qi is not one-sided but complete in letters, arms, wealth and wit. If everything around is broken and vicious instead, the qi is already spoiled and the elements hardly matter.
4. Water Form Method
Water is the bloodline of Feng Shui, governing wealth.
- Golden City Water (Jade Belt): Water curves embracing the house — great fortune
- Reversed Bow Water: Water curves away — great misfortune
- Affectionate Water: Gentle inflow, swirling outflow — auspicious
- Unfeeling Water: Direct, slanting, rapid — inauspicious
- Gathering Water: Water pools before Ming Tang — great wealth
5. Ming Tang (Bright Hall)
Ming Tang is the open space before the house. Standards for auspicious Ming Tang:
- Spacious: Open and bright
- Square: Upright, not crooked
- Clean: Tidy, no clutter
- Water Gathering: Pools water, gathers wealth
6. Dragon Vein
Dragon refers to mountain range走势, the coming and going of the main mountain.
- Living Dragon: Undulating, vivid — auspicious
- Dead Dragon: Rigid, no features — inauspicious
- Advancing Dragon: Rising peaks — auspicious
- Retreating Dragon: Descending peaks — inauspicious
Dragon-seeking essentials: "Trace the dragon to its ancestor, recognize the vein and pattern, stop where qi gathers, settle at the true cave."
7. Common Form Sha (Killing Forces)
Adverse forms around a dwelling are Sha (killing forces) requiring identification and remedy:
| Sha Name | Form | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Wall Blade Sha | Opposing wall corner like a blade | Injury, accidents |
| Heaven Chop Sha | Narrow gap between buildings | Wealth loss, illness |
| Sharp Corner Sha | Opposing sharp corner pointing at house | Disputes, lawsuits |
| Reversed Bow Sha | Road/water curving away | Wealth loss, separation |
| Piercing Heart Sha | Corridor piercing through house | Unstable qi |
| Lone Yang Sha | Surrounding single tall building | Isolation |
| Lone Yin Sha | Facing public toilet, garbage | Foul qi, illness |