​Often when we audit a house FengShui, the ancestral tablet says a lot of thing about the household… just by looking at the inscription. The main inscription of the Ancestral Tablet usually follow the character arrangement of “Growth Prosper Script”生旺賦. This script differs from one place of origin (clans) to another. 

For example, to the Cantonese community, the inscription spelt:

（姓）門堂上歷代祖先 (之) 神位

[Translated as] “(Surname) ‘door’ [meaning ancestral] hall upon generation lineage past ancestral this spiritual position”

Comprises of 11 words, following the order of “Growth, Old, Sick, Death, Extinct” 生老病死苦, whereby, Growth is the start taking the element of wood, producing fire, earth, metal, water in a producing cycle of 5 elemental interplay. The last character, must therefore sits on “growth” 生, wood.

Although the 11 words arrangement of the inscription is correct, the words within these arrangement have significant errors that not many people could understand. Foremost there are rules governing the grave and the ancestral tablets and these rules are not the same. Only true initiated practitioners would be able to discern the differences. That is why by looking at the ancestral tablet, one will understand the luck befallen the family.
​
So, these arrangements, （姓）門堂上歷代祖先 (之) 神位, as far as the author is concerned, even though it was claimed to have been complying with the Cantonese clan, is unfortunately incorrectly worded.

The Hakkas, as being the “Guests”Clan has technically no “ancestral village” to return to. So, they are free to choose any clan to follow.
​
The FuJian, subscribed to only 10 characters for the inscription, （姓）門堂上歷代祖先神位, [Translated as] “(Surname) ‘door’ [meaning ancestral] hall upon generation lineage past ancestral spiritual position”. The word, “this” (之) is not included. The reason is the “Growth Prosper Script”生旺賦 that Fujian people use is different namely, “興旺敗劣” where the last character “position” 位 is prosperous 旺. 

​The Hainanese, adopted a 11 characters inscription such as （姓）氏堂上歷代高曾 ‘考妣’[兩字並列當成一字] 神位, translated as “(Surname) ‘clan’ [meaning ancestral] hall upon generation lineage high [“the late” patriarch/matriarch]-[to be read as a single character] spiritual position” with “Growth Prosper Script”生旺賦 of Growth, Old, Sick, Death, Extinct” 生老病死苦, being the last character “position” 位 is “old” 老. 

​In summary, the last character “position” 位 for:
1.            the Cantonese must sits “growth” 生;
2.            the Fujian must sits “prosperous” 旺;
3.            the Hainanese must sits “old” 老 and
4.            the Hakka can choose other clans to follow.

​This article was written in response to some Chinese articles of the same subject. Again, there is very little consensus on these. What we had written is based on our own school of thought minus the “trade secrets” of making the FengShui works…

​These commentaries were categorised into the “Ten Wings” 十翼, “wings” being the meaning of “elevation to a higher pedestal of knowledge” typically means you ought to fly in wisdom after knowing these commentaries. The Wings comprises of:
​

1. 2 Scrolls of TuanCi 彖辭上下篇, explaining the meaning of the 64 Hexagram in a philosophical and logical manner;
2. 2 Scrolls of XiangCi 象辭上下篇, explaining the meanings by way of imagery 圖像, emphasis on ethics;
3. WenYan Zhuan 文言傳, explaining the epitome of Qian and Kun beyond just Male or Female but the “Inception” and the “Termination” where Qian or Kun can just be “unisex”, interchangeably with one another depending on the reference point that people couldn’t see beyond its apparent nature;
4. 2 Scolls of XiCi Zhuan 系辭上下傳, believed to be the work of Confucius with the relationship of the hexagrams explaining how the splits took place with TaiJi 太極, LiangYi 兩儀, SiXiang 四象 and BaGua 八卦;
5. ShuoGua Zhuan 說卦傳, explains the working mechanism or the rule books of how to read a hexagram i.e. from bottom up, its relationship with the 5 elements, seasons, representations, manifestations and the rests such as the Heaven, Man and Earth elements of the 6 Yaos;
6. XuGua Zhuan 序卦傳, explaining the relationship of one Gua with the other in a less “logical” approach that many readers would just discard them and
7. ZaGua Zhuan 雜卦傳, the ancillary approach to explain the pairing of YinYang 陰陽 in the manner of movements and stillness  動靜.

Taking a script out of “The Great Commentary” DaZhuan 大傳, it says:

“Thus the closing of the swinging gate is called kun 坤; the opening of it is called qian 乾. The ongoing alternation of openings and closings is called flux (bian 變), and the inexhaustibility of the comings and goings is called continuity (tong 通). When something is manifest, it is called an image (xiang 象), and taking on physical form it is called a phenomenon (qi 器). To fashion and make use of these things is called emulation (fa 法). Putting them to good use in everything that is done so that all of the people can take advantage of them is called spirituality (shen 神)”

As one can see, YiJing 易經 is just not simply talking about “changes”, instead it explains about the beginning 乾 of the end 坤 and the end 坤 of the beginning 乾 of things 易:
​

1. The first matter, modern science called it, “Evolution” or “Flux” 變, BianYi 變易 or the “Evolution of Yi” and to read this BianYi 變易, one cannot start from the first chapter of “the beginning” 乾. This is never the way of “reading” YiJing 易經. 
2. The second matter is in relation to JianYi 簡易 or “simple transformation”, as in the continuation of the flux, it arises continuity, Tong 通, a connection between an event that happened to give rise to knowledge or wisdom, without you knowing or not knowingly. Things happened is called a phenomenon (qi 器), when manifested called an image (xiang 象) for a reason called emulation (fa 法).Neo-Confucius called it 理氣象 and Chinese Metaphysician called it 数氣象.
3. The third matter is when a person is able to take advantage of this, or able to locate the reference point, that is unchanging against the changing phenomenon, it is called the “unchanged Yi” 不易. This unchanging point of reference is called spirituality (shen 神). This is where people say, the Heaven and Man comes together, TianRen HeYi 天人合一.

When you google this “Heaven Round Earth Square” 天圆地方, you will be served with plenty of articles pointing the geocentric approach of early astronomer looking above the sky as a “globe” and the earth reaching the furthest horizon as a “flat disc” and truly, “flat earth” proponent is never a modern phenomenon and for such reason, you get “Heaven Round Earth Square” 天圆地方. To further emphasise on such, examples were also given such as the Temple of Heaven 天壇 in the Forbidden Palace was round instead of square, the Chinese coin which is round having the centre as earth is punctured square and so forth, yet why the LuoPan or ShiPan is designed in such that the Heaven Dial which is round is inside the Square Earth plate? Earth containing the Heaven? Absurd. 

天地人，三才 meaning Heaven Earth Man, the 3 matters, aptly to be called 三元，SanYuan has been bastardised in Chinese Metaphysics, more so in 风水，FengShui because most of the people talking about these are 江湖师，or common masters with shady pedigree. They have to resort to everything to make up the bucket full. Is ok, what to do? No right or wrong about it...

More importantly, have anyone discussed before the effects of 中天卦，or Mid Heaven Gua to the effect of FengShui? What is this? We were told that there is 先天卦，Early Heaven Gua is known to be something you want to control but you cannot control.... this is the 天，Heaven aspect of things. 后天卦，Later Heaven Gua is something you can control, but many people fails to control... this is the 人，Human aspect of things. 中天卦，Mid Heaven Gua is where you can control the uncontrollable ... this is 地，Earth aspect of things.

Did anyone explain these? I purposely wrote about 天地人盘，Heaven Earth Human Plate as a pre cursor but it does not explain the meaning of 三元，SanYuan or 三才，SanCai... many also confused that 人 aspect is 中天，Mid Heaven... entirely misleading because of the wrong perception of 人，human always in between Heaven and Earth. They are confused as to which Heaven one is measuring...

Having said that where is your 中天卦，mid heaven Gua? Go ask your 师父，Master where is this illusive things? Sure they tell you is lost.... because they will say, 连归卦，Lian Gui Gua, no longer exist. These they erred big time. Because, every legitimate 风水，FengShui method, there is 中天卦，mid heaven Gua application, otherwise the method doesn't work! 

So, do you need 八字，BaZi? In BaZi, the entire trinity of 三才，SanCai is already there... The 天，Heaven aspect of the natal chart, is the 定卦，Fixed unchanging Gua, the LP, is the 易卦，the 人，human aspect.... where is the 地 Earth aspect? So, as one can see... it is not true that you need to use BaZi in order to do FengShui.... BaZi itself has its own 中天， mid heaven. No need to mix and match.

I don't blame anyone using 易经，YiJing for inspiration to make up another bucket full of craps... YiLi 易理，is the philosophical aspect governing 人 human aspect, not 地, Earth as in FengShui. That is why when we ask, how your YinYang turns, nobody can answer… This is very fundamental, but not many people knows and alas, all these 江湖师，or common masters with shady pedigree come out by the bucket loads to teach FengShui…

Often you heard that 生死有命，富贵在天，meaning Life and Death is within your Fate, Prosperity and Nobility is granted by Heaven. So you can see, it is entirely different matter. FengShui is dealing most with Nobility and Prosperity and this has to do with Heaven, something you wish to control but cannot control. Because of this people linked it with Karma, and it is one thing that is incomprehensible, Acinteyya (a pali word, please google for its meaning), yet people speaks about it pretending to be holier of the holiest. This is not FengShui... 

Everyone is born in this world not as an 'untainted white sheet', each is the bearer of one own's karma. Who grant you the authority to muddle into other people's affair, especially so by using, FengShui? So you can see... that is why genuine school will tell you to 话说七分留三分，留下三分积儿孙。Quote seven points reserve three points, leaving behind three points for your children and grandchildren.... are you going to conveniently use BaZi to diagnose someone else problem and use FengShui to cure? Who are you? God?

And truly, if FengShui can only works for people who is good luck, therefore you need to vet their FengShui first, may I suggest, you don't do FengShui, stamp collection is a better choice. In fact, Good Luck people no need to hire FengShui master, anything they do is already good vibes. Bad Luck people also no need to hire FengShui master because whoever they hire is lousy Masters, so their FengShui cannot work... so why bother looking at their BaZi? No brainer isn't it?
​
LiChun 立春，is here today at 5:03pm. Let's be less superstitious and have a great year ahead, knowing that the Year of the Rat isn't Rat, but Zi 子，the beginning of everything prosperous, a dawn of a new beginning and don’t waste your time waiting in line at the ATM to deposit your money…
If you like this article, please give a LIKE otherwise, kindly ignore. Comments are welcome in QuanYuan’s FB Page as some FB group is not very happy with people asking too much question that their sifu cannot answer. Cheers.