Ba Zhai – the Eight Mansions school of feng shui
Published on October 22, 2026
Ba Zhai, the Eight Mansions school, is one of the oldest and simplest feng shui methods. It divides people and houses into an east and a west group and assigns each direction one of eight stars – four favourable and four unfavourable.
The four unfavourable stars
Huo Hai (mishap) brings small misfortunes, Wu Gui (five ghosts) quarrels and unrest, Liu Sha (six killings) gossip and losses, Jue Ming (severed life) is the most difficult direction. These areas are used for bathroom, toilet, kitchen and storage – rooms that “flush away” the unfavourable or are little used.
House and person
The house gets its group from its sitting direction (the back). If house and residents match, the good areas reinforce each other. If they do not, you use the personal directions within the rooms – bed and desk.
Ba Zhai and flying stars
Ba Zhai describes the fixed, personal part. The flying stars add time: they show how the areas change over periods and years. Many consultants combine both schools.
Frequently asked questions
What matters more: bed or desk?+
Both matter because you spend many hours there. For the bed it is the direction of the head, for the desk the direction you face.
Do I have to renovate?+
Hardly ever. Usually it is enough to turn furniture or use rooms differently.
Does Ba Zhai apply to apartments?+
Yes. You measure the orientation of the building or apartment and divide the floor plan into nine areas.