At a glance
- Common groups
- Eastern and western mansion groups
Definition and scope
Eight Mansions uses trigrams to classify residential orientation; it does not refer to eight actual houses. Some versions also classify people, but personal and building categories must be stated separately. Sources differ in their input conventions. A computed personal trigram is a traditional category rather than a validated personality description.
Structure and details
The eastern group commonly contains Kan, Li, Zhen and Xun; the western group contains Qian, Kun, Gen and Dui. Relationship names such as Shengqi and Tianyi receive auspicious meanings in manuals. Keep trigram, group and relationship labels distinct. A name translated as heavenly physician is not evidence of therapeutic power.
Example and history
A historical manual explicitly records eastern and western mansion groupings. A teaching plan that classifies a north-backed, south-facing dwelling by its backing can illustrate the Kan category. A source that uses the entrance instead needs another account. The example demonstrates conventions, not an outcome forecast for residents.
Contexts and limits
Eight Mansions can explain historical charts and household preferences. Agreement on classification does not validate the attached predictions. Housing also involves cost, schooling, care and comfort. Labels meaning inauspicious should be presented as historical evaluations, never as grounds to exclude family members or disregard safe and accessible rooms.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.