How to Find the Favorable Floor

How to Select the Floor When Buying an Apartment Au Ann San 1.

Introduction

Does the floor where you stay affect the feng shui of your home? Which floor should I live in? These are a few very popular questions people ask when selecting an apartment. In this paper, I will try to answer these questions using a simple method to select the floor of an apartment. Before the floor of an apartment can be selected, the Gua number of the homeowner must be calculated. This is a number derived from his/her year of birth. However, some may ask: There are a few members in my family, whose Gua number should be used? When buying an apartment, the person who pays for it is the owner and therefore his/her Gua number should be used. What if a few persons share to buy an apartment? In such a case, we will usually use the Gua number of the person with the largest share. If all co-owners have the same share, the Gua number of the person who makes the most money should be used. The logic is that the feng shui in the apartment affects everyone living in it. If the feng shui is no good, the one who will be affected most financially will be the person with the highest income. 2.

Gua Number

The Gua number of a person is derived from his/her year of birth. It should be noted that the year used to calculate the Gua number is based on Hsia calendar (夏历), a calendar used in Chinese Metaphysics. A new year in this calendar starts on Li Chun (立春), the first day of spring, which can fall on the 3rd, 4th or 5th of February every year. Using the year of birth, add up all the four digits of the year until only one digit remains. For a male, deduct this number from 11 and if the result is a single digit number, it is the Gua number. If it is a two-digit number, add the digits to obtain a single digit number, which is the Gua number. For a female, add four to the number and the result is the Gua number. If the Gua number is 5, a male should use 2 and a female should use 8. Let’s show some examples to demonstrate this: Example 1: Gua number for a male A male born in 1959, year of the pig. Add the digits of the year to obtain a singles digit number: For male, deduct the result from 11, giving the Gua number: For a male, use 2 as his Gua number when the result is 5.

1 + 9 + 5 + 9 = 24 2+4=6 11 – 6 = 5

Example 2: Gua number for a female A female born in 1969, year of the horse. Add the digits of the year to obtain a singles digit number: For female, add 4 to the result to get the Gua number: If the result is 2-digit, add them to obtain the Gua number: Her Gua number is 2.

1 + 9 + 6 + 9 = 25 2+5=7 4 + 7 = 11 1+1=2

If you do not wish to calculate the Gua number using the above method, you can use the table in Appendix I to find the Gua number. 3.

Ming Gua

After calculating the Gua number of the homeowner, we need to determine his/her Ming Gua. This is a very simple process that makes use of the following table: Gua Number 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9

Ming Gua Kan 坎 Kun 坤 Zhen 震 Xun 巽 Qian 乾 Dui 兌 Gen 艮 Li 離

Element Water Earth Wood Wood Metal Metal Earth Fire

Table 1: Ming Gua and Their Elements

4.

He Tu

After determining the Ming Gua of the owner of the apartment, we need to use the He Tu (River Diagram), shown as follows: South Fire 7

2 East Wood

8

3

5, 10 Earth

4

1

6 North Water Figure 1: He Tu (River Diagram)

Use of the He Tu is explained in Section 5.

9

West Metal

5.

Determine a suitable floor

Using the Ming Gua obtained in Table 1, determine the element of the Ming Gua. Look for the branch with the same element as the Ming Gua in the He Tu (Figure 1) and use either of the 2 numbers in that branch as the floor of the apartment. For example, a person with a Gua number of 2 has the Kun 坤 Gua, which is earth. In the He Tu, the numbers 5 and 10 are earth elements and therefore this person can buy an apartment either on the 5th level, 10th level, 15th level, 20th level and so on. If the floor using the same element as the Ming Gua is not available, the second choice will be to use the element that produces the element of the Ming Gua. Using the same example above, fire produces earth and therefore the numbers 2 and 7 can be used, which means he can also choose levels 2, 7, 12, 17 and so on. The productive cycle of the 5 elements are as follows: 金 Metal

土 Earth

水 Water

Productive Cycle

火 Fire

木 Wood

Figure 2: Productive Cycle of the 5 Elements

Some people may ask: Why don’t we just use the Gua number as the floor of the apartment? If you look closely at the Gua numbers in Table 1, 0 and 5 are missing. Therefore the Gua number itself cannot be used to select the floor of an apartment. 6.

Verification of Favourable Element

After using the above method to select the floor of an apartment, it is advisable to check if the element of the person’s Ming Gua is his/her favourable element using his/her bazi. If the element of the person’s Ming Gua is his/her favourable element, the floor selected satisfies both his/her Ming Gua and bazi, which will be very good for him/her. If the element of the person’s Ming Gua is his/her unfavourable element, the element that produces the Ming Gua element can be used. If the Ming Gua element and the element that produces it are both unfavourable elements, it is advisable to use a person’s favourable elements using bazi to determine the floor of the apartment. In such a case, use the favourable elements, which can be two or three elements, and read off the pairs of numbers from the He Tu (Figure 1). For example, a person whose favourable elements are water and wood, can choose levels 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, and so on. Determination of a person’s favourable elements using his/her bazi is an advanced technique in bazi studies and is beyond the scope of this paper.

Appendix I: Gua Number from Years 1922 to 2024 Year

Symbol

Start & End Dates

立春 Time

1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965

Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake

4 Feb 1922 – 4 Feb 1923 5 Feb 1923 – 4 Feb 1924 5 Feb 1924 – 3 Feb 1925 4 Feb 1925 – 3 Feb 1926 4 Feb 1926 – 4 Feb 1927 5 Feb 1927 – 4 Feb 1928 5 Feb 1928 – 3 Feb 1929 4 Feb 1929 – 3 Feb 1930 4 Feb 1930 – 4 Feb 1931 5 Feb 1931 – 4 Feb 1932 5 Feb 1932 – 3 Feb 1933 4 Feb 1933 – 3 Feb 1934 4 Feb 1934 – 4 Feb 1935 5 Feb 1935 – 4 Feb 1936 5 Feb 1936 – 3 Feb 1937 4 Feb 1937 – 3 Feb 1938 4 Feb 1938 – 4 Feb 1939 5 Feb 1939 – 4 Feb 1940 5 Feb 1940 – 3 Feb 1941 4 Feb 1941 – 3 Feb 1942 4 Feb 1942 – 4 Feb 1943 5 Feb 1943 – 4 Feb 1944 5 Feb 1944 – 3 Feb 1945 4 Feb 1945 – 3 Feb 1946 4 Feb 1946 – 3 Feb 1947 4 Feb 1947 – 4 Feb 1948 5 Feb 1948 – 3 Feb 1949 4 Feb 1949 – 3 Feb 1950 4 Feb 1950 – 3 Feb 1951 4 Feb 1951 – 4 Feb 1952 5 Feb 1952 – 3 Feb 1953 4 Feb 1953 – 3 Feb 1954 4 Feb 1954 – 3 Feb 1955 4 Feb 1955 – 4 Feb 1956 5 Feb 1956 – 3 Feb 1957 4 Feb 1957 – 3 Feb 1958 4 Feb 1958 – 3 Feb 1959 4 Feb 1959 – 4 Feb 1960 5 Feb 1960 – 3 Feb 1961 4 Feb 1961 – 3 Feb 1962 4 Feb 1962 – 3 Feb 1963 4 Feb 1963 – 4 Feb 1964 5 Feb 1964 – 3 Feb 1965 4 Feb 1965 – 3 Feb 1966

2207 hours 0401 hours 0950 hours 1537 hours 2139 hours 0331 hours 0917 hours 1509 hours 2052 hours 0241 hours 0830 hours 1410 hours 2004 hours 0149 hours 0730 hours 1326 hours 1915 hours 0117 hours 0708 hours 1250 hours 1849 hours 0041 hours 0623 hours 2120 hours 1805 hours 2327 hours 0543 hours 1123 hours 1721 hours 2314 hours 0454 hours 1046 hours 1631 hours 2218 hours 0413 hours 0955 hours 1550 hours 2143 hours 0323 hours 0923 hours 1518 hours 2108 hours 0305 hours 0846 hours

Gua Number Male Female 6 9 5 1 4 2 3 3 2 4 1 5 9 6 8 7 7 8 6 9 5 1 4 2 3 3 2 4 1 5 9 6 8 7 7 8 6 9 5 1 4 2 3 3 2 4 1 5 9 6 8 7 7 8 6 9 5 1 4 2 3 3 2 4 1 5 9 6 8 7 7 8 6 9 5 1 4 2 3 3 2 4 1 5 9 6 8 7

1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake

4 Feb 1966 – 3 Feb 1967 4 Feb 1967 – 4 Feb 1968 5 Feb 1968 – 3 Feb 1969 4 Feb 1969 – 3 Feb 1970 4 Feb 1970 – 3 Feb 1971 4 Feb 1971 – 4 Feb 1972 5 Feb 1972 – 3 Feb 1973 4 Feb 1973 – 3 Feb 1974 4 Feb 1974 – 3 Feb 1975 4 Feb 1975 – 4 Feb 1976 5 Feb 1976 – 3 Feb 1977 4 Feb 1977 – 3 Feb 1978 4 Feb 1978 – 3 Feb 1979 4 Feb 1979 – 4 Feb 1980 5 Feb 1980 – 3 Feb 1981 4 Feb 1981 – 3 Feb 1982 4 Feb 1982 – 3 Feb 1983 4 Feb 1983 – 3 Feb 1984 4 Feb 1984 – 3 Feb 1985 4 Feb 1985 – 3 Feb 1986 4 Feb 1986 – 3 Feb 1987 4 Feb 1987 – 3 Feb 1988 4 Feb 1988 – 3 Feb 1989 4 Feb 1989 – 3 Feb 1990 4 Feb 1990 – 3 Feb 1991 4 Feb 1991 – 3 Feb 1992 4 Feb 1992 – 3 Feb 1993 4 Feb 1993 – 3 Feb 1994 4 Feb 1994 – 3 Feb 1995 4 Feb 1995 – 3 Feb 1996 4 Feb 1996 – 3 Feb 1997 4 Feb 1997 – 3 Feb 1998 4 Feb 1998 – 3 Feb 1999 4 Feb 1999 – 3 Feb 2000 4 Feb 2000 – 3 Feb 2001 4 Feb 2001 – 3 Feb 2002 4 Feb 2002 – 3 Feb 2003 4 Feb 2003 – 3 Feb 2004 4 Feb 2004 – 3 Feb 2005 4 Feb 2005 – 3 Feb 2006 4 Feb 2006 – 3 Feb 2007 4 Feb 2007 – 3 Feb 2008 4 Feb 2008 – 3 Feb 2009 4 Feb 2009 – 3 Feb 2010 4 Feb 2010 – 3 Feb 2011 4 Feb 2011 – 3 Feb 2012 4 Feb 2012 – 3 Feb 2013 4 Feb 2013 – 3 Feb 2014

1438 hours 2031 hours 0208 hours 0759 hours 1346 hours 1926 hours 0120 hours 0704 hours 1300 hours 1859 hours 0040 hours 0634 hours 1227 hours 1813 hours 0010 hours 0556 hours 1145 hours 1735 hours 2320 hours 0515 hours 1116 hours 1650 hours 2238 hours 0426 hours 1015 hours 1604 hours 2154 hours 0343 hours 0933 hours 1524 hours 2115 hours 0304 hours 0853 hours 1442 hours 2032 hours 0220 hours 0808 hours 1357 hours 1946 hours 0134 hours 0725 hours 1314 hours 1903 hours 0052 hours 0642 hours 1232 hours 1840 hours 0019 hours

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 5

8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon

4 Feb 2014 – 3 Feb 2015 4 Feb 2015 – 3 Feb 2016 4 Feb 2016 – 2 Feb 2017 3 Feb 2017 – 3 Feb 2018 4 Feb 2018 – 3 Feb 2019 4 Feb 2019 – 3 Feb 2020 4 Feb 2020 – 2 Feb 2021 3 Feb 2021 – 3 Feb 2022 4 Feb 2022 – 3 Feb 2023 4 Feb 2023 – 3 Feb 2024 4 Feb 2024 – 2 Feb 2025

0621 hours 1209 hours 1814 hours 2349 hours 0538 hours 1128 hours 1718 hours 2308 hours 0458 hours 1047 hours 1637 hours

4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3

How to use the above table to find the Gua number: 1. Find your year of birth in column 1. 2. Make sure your birth date is between the start and end dates in column 3. 3. If your date of birth is the starting day of the year, determine if the time of birth is AT or AFTER the 立春 time in column 4. If no, use the previous year. 4. For a male, read off the Gua number in column 5 and for a female, read it off in column 6. If the Gua number is 5, a male should use 2 as the Gua number and for a female, 8 should be used. Example 1: A male born on 18 July 1959: His birth date is between the start and end dates: 4 Feb 1959 – 4 Feb 1960 (column 3) His Gua number is 5 (column 5) Since the result is 5, he should use 2 as the Gua number. Example 2: A female born on 4 February 1966 at 1400 hours: Her birth date is the starting date of 1966: 4 Feb 1966 – 3 Feb 1967 (column 3) However, her birth time (1400 hours) is before the 立春 time: 1438 hours (column 4) Therefore she should use the Gua number for the year 1965, which is 7 (column 6) Example 3: A female born on 4 February 1966 at 1500 hours: Her birth date is the starting date of 1966: 4 Feb 1966 – 3 Feb 1967 (column 3) Her birth time (1500 hours) is after the 立春 time: 1438 hours (column 4) Her Gua number is 8 (column 6)