Feng shui
(traditional Chinese: simplified Chinese:
pinyin: fēng shuǐ; pronounced /fung-shway in
Mandarin or fung-shooy) is an ancient
Chinese system of aesthetics believed to use
the laws of both Heaven (astronomy) and
Earth (geography) to help one improve life
by receiving positive qi.[1] The original
designation for the discipline is Kan Yu
(traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese:
; pinyin: kānyú; literally: Tao of heaven
and earth).
The term feng shui literally translates as
"wind-water" in English. This is a cultural
shorthand taken from the following passage
of the Zhangshu (Book of Burial) by Guo Pu
of the Jin Dynasty:
Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is
retained when encountering water
Traditional feng shui practice always
requires an extremely accurate Chinese
compass, or luo pan, in order to determine
the directions in finding any auspicious
sector in a desired location.
Although feng shui is conceptually similar
to its Indian counterpart Vaastu Shastra in
that they both try to harmonize the flow of
life-energy (qi in Chinese or prana in
Sanskrit) through the house, it differs in
the details, such as the exact directions in
which various objects, rooms, materials etc.
are to be placed.
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