Yin-zhai (陰宅) is the Feng Shui of burial sites, and Xuan Kong Da Gua (玄空大卦) provides the most precise framework for it. In classical practice — particularly the San Yuan school as transmitted through the master Jiang Da-Hong (蔣大鴻, 1620–1714) — a poorly sited grave is considered to affect the direct lineage for generations, while a well-sited grave is held to support descendants in measurable patterns of prosperity, health, and reputation. Whether or not the practitioner accepts the metaphysics, the method is rigorous: the same hexagram-compass logic that audits a residence applies to a tomb, with the descendant lineage substituted for the occupant.
Why San Yuan diverges from San He on burial siting
The two major Feng Shui schools take notably different approaches. The SAN HE school emphasises the macro-environment — surrounding mountains, water flow, the Dragon's Body in the landscape — and selects burial sites based on visible terrain features. The SAN YUAN school, of which Xuan Kong Da Gua is the most precise expression, emphasises the per-degree compass reading and the timing of construction (the Period in which the burial occurs). Jiang Da-Hong's contribution was to formalise the San Yuan method specifically for burials, arguing that a grave's energetic activation depends as much on the precise hexagram and Period as on the surrounding landscape. Modern practitioners typically use both schools in tandem — San He for site selection, San Yuan for orientation and timing — but the XKDG layer is what gives precision to the descendant-line analysis.
Sitting hexagram for tombs and lineage matching
The sitting hexagram of a tomb (the hexagram of the back of the burial mound or headstone, opposite the facing direction) is the primary input for lineage analysis. It is read against the deceased's birth-year hexagram for ancestor-grave compatibility, AND against each direct descendant's birth-year hexagram for descendant-line effects. A sitting hexagram that is harmonious with the deceased's birth hexagram is held to allow the deceased's energy to settle peacefully; a clashing hexagram is held to produce restlessness that propagates into descendant dreams, family disputes, and recurring lineage difficulties. Where the sitting hexagram is also harmonious with several descendants' hexagrams, those descendants tend to receive supportive influence; where it clashes with a particular descendant's hexagram, that descendant is held to bear the lineage friction more acutely. The method does not predict individual fortune; it describes how the burial-site energetics distribute across the lineage.
Period-9 considerations for new burials (2024-2043)
We are now in Period 9 of the Three Cycles Nine Periods system (2024-2043), governed by the trigram Li (Fire) in the south. Burials sited during Period 9 should be evaluated against the Period-9 favourable hexagrams: those in the Li-trigram family and hexagrams that interact harmoniously with Fire energy. A burial in a Period-9-clashing direction (typically certain Kan/Water-trigram positions) is held to produce a long-term drain on the lineage that lasts at least until the Period transition (2044). Practitioners who consult on Period-9 burials prioritise: (1) the sitting hexagram match with the deceased; (2) the Period-9 favourable list; (3) the construction-date Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch (avoiding clashes with the Tai Sui of the burial year); (4) the descendant lineage hexagram match. When all four can be satisfied, the burial is held to produce up to 60-100 years of supportive lineage energy. When several are unsatisfiable, the practitioner often advises waiting for a better window or selecting a different site altogether.
References
Canonical sources that inform this guide.