Named landforms
In feng shui, a 喝形 likens the shape of the hills and water at a site to an animal or an object — the Great Roc Spreading Its Wings, the Grand Armchair, the Lotus Floating on Water. This site writes the 22 that can be measured from the terrain as rules: which hills and which water, where round the seat, make the likeness. Here is a drawing and a plain explanation of each; every result is a likeness, for reference only.
Who this is for
- Home buyers: search the estate or paste a listing link: the hill behind, and whether a road or viaduct strikes the door.
- Families choosing a grave or 生基 site: compare a few candidates: is the spot on the form's seat?
- Shop owners choosing a site: does the road curve round the door, is the station in front?
- Feng shui masters: a first sift before going on site, to spend the time where it counts.
- Agents and developers: describe a property's landform — and say “a likeness, for reference only”.
- Temples, guesthouses and resorts: explain the land's setting and what tradition says of it.
How to use them
- Find a formPick one in “Looks like a named form”, then search this area: the map marks the places most like it.
- Read a placeTap any point and open the full reading: “Named forms and the ground” says which form it looks like, why (which hill is the wing, which the pearl), where the traditional seat is and which way to move.
- Check a claimWhen a seller or a master calls a place a “Great Roc seat”, search the place or paste its Google Maps link and see whether the ground reads that way and where the wings and pearl are — a second opinion.
When it helps
- Before viewing a home: whether the hill behind the estate is an armchair, whether a road or viaduct strikes the door.
- Choosing a grave or a 生基 site: whether the spot is on the form's seat or should move a little.
- Choosing a shop: whether the road curves round the door and the station lies in front.
- Checking a seller's claim: whether the form they name shows in the ground.
Spread wings
also called the Eagle seat or the Flying Phoenix
The seat is on the tip of a spur (the head), the ridge rises behind it (the body), and a ridge spreads out on each side (the wings) without curling round to the front.
- Traditional seat:
- the head, the tip of the spur
- Traditionally said:
- high aims, a career that spreads its wings (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, offices, shops, temples and retreats
- Suits (traditionally)
- founders, people posted abroad, traders — anyone looking to grow outward
- Less suited (traditionally)
- the seat is on a spur tip, open to wind on both sides — not for frail elders to live long.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
Embrace
also called the Folding Chair
A hill behind, arms on both sides that come round to the front corners, open only straight ahead.
- Traditional seat:
- the middle of the chair, before the back hill between the arms
- Traditionally said:
- steadiness and support (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, offices, temples and retreats, graves
- Suits (traditionally)
- families wanting stability, households living with elders, employees wanting support
- Less suited (traditionally)
- blocked in front it is no longer a good armchair; a shop wanting crowds has a narrow opening.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills
- Example
- Chi Lin Nunnery: looks like Grand Armchair (high). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
Knolls
A small round knoll alone in flat land or by water, with a few low spurs round it like petals.
- Traditional seat:
- the heart of the lotus, the knoll's top
- Traditionally said:
- refinement and good name (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- temples and retreats, guesthouses and inns, homes, graves
- Suits (traditionally)
- spiritual practice, religion, healing work, the arts
- Less suited (traditionally)
- a lone knoll open to wind on all sides — not for a busy trade.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, in town a main road may stand in for water (one step less sure)
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
A low round hill with one end (the head) put out towards water nearby.
- Traditional seat:
- on the turtle's back or at its head
- Traditionally said:
- steadiness, keeping what one has (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, guesthouses and inns, graves, 生基 (life-root) sites
- Suits (traditionally)
- people keeping what they have and retiring (the turtle traditionally stands for long life)
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, in town a main road may stand in for water (one step less sure)
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
A small knoll rising from a level shelf that stands above the ground round it; the seat is on the knoll.
- Traditional seat:
- on the pearl, the knoll in the middle of the shelf
- Traditionally said:
- plenty and savings (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, offices, shops
- Suits (traditionally)
- people saving and building steady businesses
- Less suited (traditionally)
- not for building at the shelf's steep edge.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
With a pearl
A small knoll stands alone a little way in front of the seat (the pearl), not much higher than it.
- Traditional seat:
- facing the pearl
- Traditionally said:
- helpful people and good news (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, shops, offices, graves
- Suits (traditionally)
- people seeking helpful contacts, service and relationship businesses
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills
- Example
- National Palace Museum: looks like Green Dragon Playing with a Pearl (high). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
A broad, massive mountain behind the seat (the lion) and a small knoll a little way in front (the ball).
- Traditional seat:
- before the lion, facing the ball
- Traditionally said:
- standing and authority (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- shops, offices, temples and retreats
- Suits (traditionally)
- commerce, entertainment, businesses that live on foot traffic
- Less suited (traditionally)
- the lion is forceful — heavy for a small family home.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills
- Example
- National Palace Museum: looks like Lion Rolling a Ball (high). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
Long ridges
A long, thin ridge with few branches; the seat is at its tail.
- Traditional seat:
- the tail of the ridge
- Traditionally said:
- agility, rising ahead (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- graves, 生基 (life-root) sites, homes
- Suits (traditionally)
- sales and freelance work that needs agility
- Less suited (traditionally)
- a narrow, windy ridge — not for a large house or a factory.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
A long ridge with many short spurs off both sides, in turn, like legs.
- Traditional seat:
- the head, or between two spurs on its side
- Traditionally said:
- a large family, wide roots (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- graves, 生基 (life-root) sites, factories
- Suits (traditionally)
- large families, businesses with many branches
- Less suited (traditionally)
- long and many-legged, traditionally yin — mostly for graves, not suggested as a home.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
Others
A long, broad body of mountain running down from high up; the seat is low on it and its arms are short.
- Traditional seat:
- low on the body, where the slope eases
- Traditionally said:
- boldness and drive (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- offices, factories, temples and retreats
- Suits (traditionally)
- managers, the military and police, fiercely competitive trades
- Less suited (traditionally)
- the tiger carries 煞 — not for an ordinary home, least of all with elders or children.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum: looks like Tiger Coming Down the Mountain (medium). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
A spur hanging smoothly down off a great mountain; the seat is at its tip.
- Traditional seat:
- the tip of the trunk
- Traditionally said:
- solidity (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, temples and retreats, guesthouses and inns, graves
- Suits (traditionally)
- people seeking steadiness and long-term business
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
Four to six spurs side by side, pointing the same way like fingers; the seat is on one or in the palm behind.
- Traditional seat:
- the palm or a fingertip
- Traditionally said:
- craft and business (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- shops, offices, factories
- Suits (traditionally)
- craftspeople, technicians, studio owners
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
Four or more spurs come in from all round to one point; the seat is there, a little raised.
- Traditional seat:
- the body, where the spurs meet
- Traditionally said:
- gathering wealth and connections (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- shops, offices, guesthouses and inns
- Suits (traditionally)
- online, brokerage and agency businesses built on contacts
- Less suited (traditionally)
- traditionally yin — not suggested as a home.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- Government House, Hong Kong: looks like Spider Weaving Its Web (medium). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
A small level spot high on a steep slope, walls close behind and beside, a steep fall in front.
- Traditional seat:
- the nest, the small shelf on the steep slope
- Traditionally said:
- a settled home (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, temples and retreats, guesthouses and inns
- Suits (traditionally)
- people wanting seclusion, small families, practitioners
- Less suited (traditionally)
- high on a steep slope, hard to reach — not for business or the elderly.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
A pond or lake a little way in front that the seat can see.
- Traditional seat:
- facing the water
- Traditionally said:
- learning and grace (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- shops, guesthouses and inns, homes
- Suits (traditionally)
- beauty, performing arts, design, and women in charge
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills, in town a main road may stand in for water (one step less sure)
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
A gentle, rounded, long hillside like an ox lying down; the seat is where the slope levels out at its foot.
- Traditional seat:
- the belly, where the slope levels out
- Traditionally said:
- diligence, a steady and ample life (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, factories, graves
- Suits (traditionally)
- hard-working practical people, farming, long-term ventures
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves
- Example
- Changling, Ming Tombs: looks like Sleeping Ox (low). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
Read from the look of hills (at most medium)
A thick, gently sloping body with a small sharp top at its front end by the seat (the horn), facing a pond, lake, river bend or round knoll (the moon).
- Traditional seat:
- just below the horn
- Traditionally said:
- integrity and foresight (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, offices, temples and retreats
- Suits (traditionally)
- scholars, researchers, professions valuing a good name
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, in town a main road may stand in for water (one step less sure), read from the look of hills: at most medium, a master should see it on site
- Example
- Wong Tai Sin Temple: looks like Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon (medium). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
The highest hill round stands behind or beside the seat (the general), with a small round or square-topped knoll off a front corner (the seal); a sharp top (flag) and a round one (drum) nearby add to it.
- Traditional seat:
- before the general, the seal beside
- Traditionally said:
- authority and leadership (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- offices, temples and retreats, graves
- Suits (traditionally)
- public office, managers, the military and police — people who hold authority
- Less suited (traditionally)
- a forceful setting — a small business may not suit it.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, read from the look of hills: at most medium, a master should see it on site
- Example
- Cihu Mausoleum: looks like General Hanging His Seal (low). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
Four or five roughly parallel spurs running down the same way (the horses), with a stream or long valley across their feet (the trough); the seat at the foot of the middle one.
- Traditional seat:
- the head of the middle horse, by the trough
- Traditionally said:
- income from effort (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- shops, factories, offices
- Suits (traditionally)
- sales, logistics and transport, trades that want quick income
- Less suited (traditionally)
- galloping horses are unsettled — not for a quiet home or retirement.
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, in town a main road may stand in for water (one step less sure), read from the look of hills: at most medium, a master should see it on site
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
Two long ridges running out ahead on either side (the dragons), with a small round knoll between them in front (the pearl).
- Traditional seat:
- between the dragons, facing the pearl
- Traditionally said:
- siblings of one mind, striving (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, offices, shops
- Suits (traditionally)
- sibling partnerships, family businesses, competing teams
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills, read from the look of hills: at most medium, a master should see it on site
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
Where the water leaves the 明堂 (the outlet), a hill on each side squeezes the gap narrow.
- Traditional seat:
- inside the gate hills, at the back of the 明堂
- Traditionally said:
- water held, wealth gathered (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- homes, shops, offices, temples and retreats
- Suits (traditionally)
- people keeping and gathering wealth, managing finances
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, also read in town with the buildings as hills, read from the look of hills: at most medium, a master should see it on site
- Example
- No landmark in the famous sites reads as this form yet.
A sharp top (the flag) and a round one (the drum) in front or beside.
- Traditional seat:
- in front of the flag and drum
- Traditionally said:
- renown and command (a traditional saying, for reference only)
- Used for
- offices, temples and retreats, shops
- Suits (traditionally)
- PR, politics, speakers — people who need to rally others
- How this site reads it
- read for homes and graves, read from the look of hills: at most medium, a master should see it on site
- Example
- Puji Temple, Mount Putuo: looks like Flag and Drum (medium). famous sites · see on the map (VVIP)
Many named forms depend on the detail of a hill or on imagination; this site does not read them — they need a master on site.
A named form (喝形) here is a likeness read off the shape of the ground — for reference only, never a verdict. Forms read from the look of hills (Rhinoceros, General…) go no higher than medium; forms that depend on the detail of a hill or on imagination are not read here and need a master on site.
Open Explore Land Veins Famous sites, read by the ground