Feng Shui Compass Types: San He, San Yuan, and Comprehensive Compass Guide

Types of Feng Shui Compasses

The Luopan (Feng Shui Compass) is the most essential tool for any Feng Shui practitioner, and different schools require different compass designs. Based on their specific features, Luopan compasses are divided into three main categories:

San He Compass

The San He Compass is the standard tool for the Form School and the San He School (Triple Harmony School). It is also called the "Yang Gong Compass."

Cultural Context: The name "San He" (三合, Triple Harmony) refers to the harmony between three key time elements — year, month, and day — which this school uses to determine auspicious directions. This contrasts with the San Yuan school, which emphasizes spatial cycles.

Main Features:

• Built around the Twenty-Four Mountains system
• Contains the Twelve Growth Stages (Twelve Long Life Stages) ring
• Includes the Seventy-Two Dragon Transits (Chuan Shan 72 Dragons)
• Features the Sixty Dragon Through Earth (Tou Di 60 Dragons)
• Contains the One Hundred Twenty Gold Divisions and the 60 Equal Division layer

Best Suited For:

• Form School (形势派)
• San He School (三合派)
• Yang Gong Feng Shui (杨公风水)

San Yuan Compass

The San Yuan Compass is the preferred instrument of the San Yuan School and the Xuan Kong Flying Star School. It is also known as the "Jiang Gong Compass" or "Bagua Compass."

Main Features:

• Framed by the Earlier Heaven Bagua and Later Heaven Bagua
• Contains the Sixty-Four Hexagrams ring
• Includes Gua Yun (Hexagram Period) and Gua Qi (Hexagram Energy) markers
• Integrates Tai Sui (Grand Duke) and Year Breaker temporal information

Best Suited For:

• San Yuan School (三元派)
• Xuan Kong Flying Star School (玄空飞星派)
• Dragon Gate Eight Formations

Comprehensive Compass

The Comprehensive Compass merges features from multiple schools. It has the most rings and contains the richest information.

Main Features:

• Combines both San He and San Yuan compass content
• Can have 40 to 52 rings
• Ideal for practitioners who study multiple schools

Best Suited For:

• Eclectic Feng Shui practitioners
• Professional researchers and advanced students

How Different Schools Use the Luopan

Form School Compass Method

The Form School uses the Luopan primarily to determine direction and measure the Sitting and Facing orientation of a building.

Basic Steps:

1. Establish North-South: Use the Heaven Pool (compass magnetic needle) to confirm orientation
2. Measure Sitting and Facing: Place the Luopan at the Central Point (Li Ji Point) of the site and read the mountain-direction
3. Read the Twenty-Four Mountains: Determine exactly which mountain direction the building sits on
4. Verify Sand and Water: Cross-reference surrounding Sand and Water features against auspicious and inauspicious positions

Key Compass Rings Used:

• Heaven Pool (magnetic needle)
• Twenty-Four Mountains ring
• Seventy-Two Dragon Transit ring

San He School Compass Method

The San He School places special emphasis on the Twelve Growth Stages and Seventy-Two Dragons when using the Luopan.

Measuring Incoming and Outgoing Water:

1. Stand at the Feng Shui Point (acupoint) and use the compass to measure the direction from which water flows in
2. Identify where incoming water falls within the Twelve Growth Stages cycle
3. Determine whether the incoming water is auspicious or inauspicious
4. Measure the outgoing water direction and verify it aligns with proper water method theory

Key Compass Rings Used:

• Twelve Growth Stages ring
• Seventy-Two Dragon Transit ring
• Sixty Dragon Through Earth ring
• One Hundred Twenty Gold Divisions ring

Example of Twelve Growth Stages Layout (Water Bureau — Shen Zi Chen):

Direction	Twelve Growth Stage	Auspicious Quality
Kun-Shen	Long Life	Greatly Auspicious
Geng-You	Bathing	Neutral
Xin-Xu	Crowned	Mildly Auspicious
Qian-Hai	Official	Greatly Auspicious
Ren-Zi	Imperial Peak	Greatly Auspicious
Gui-Chou	Decline	Inauspicious
Gen-Yin	Illness	Inauspicious
Jia-Mao	Death	Greatly Inauspicious
Yi-Chen	Tomb	Neutral (Auspicious for outgoing water)
Xun-Si	Extinction	Greatly Inauspicious
Bing-Wu	Embryo	Neutral
Ding-Wei	Nurturing	Neutral

Xuan Kong Flying Star School Compass Method

The Xuan Kong Flying Star School demands the highest precision from the Luopan — readings must be accurate down to the degree.

Required Precision for Sitting and Facing:

• Standard Hexagram: Sitting and facing must fall within the central 9 degrees of a sector
• Replacement Hexagram: Sitting and facing must fall within the outer 3 degrees of each sector
• An error of even 1 degree can produce a completely different Flying Star chart

Operating Procedure:

1. Place the Luopan at the Central Point of the building (usually the geometric center)
2. Ensure the compass is level and the magnetic needle rotates freely
3. Wait until the needle fully settles, then read the degrees
4. Determine which mountain direction the reading belongs to
5. Decide whether to use the Standard or Replacement Hexagram method
6. Plot the corresponding Flying Star chart for the building

Key Compass Rings Used:

• Twenty-Four Mountains ring (precise to the degree)
• 360-Degree ring
• Hexagram Lines ring (used in Xuan Kong Da Gua)

Eight Mansions School Compass Method

The Eight Mansions School has relatively simple requirements for the Luopan.

Basic Operation:

1. Measure the Sitting and Facing direction of the dwelling
2. Determine which of the Eight Mansions the dwelling belongs to
3. Based on the sitting and facing, identify auspicious and inauspicious sectors
4. Use the findings to guide interior layout

Key Compass Rings Used:

• Later Heaven Bagua ring
• Twenty-Four Mountains ring
• Eight Mansions Auspicious/Inauspicious ring (on some compasses)

San Yuan School Compass Method

The San Yuan School focuses on the relationship between the Earlier Heaven Bagua and Later Heaven Bagua when reading the compass.

Operating Procedure:

1. Measure Sitting and Facing direction
2. Identify both the Earlier Heaven and Later Heaven hexagrams for the orientation
3. Apply Dragon Gate Eight Formations analysis
4. Combine the reading with the current Period (Yuan Yun) to judge auspiciousness

Key Compass Rings Used:

• Earlier Heaven Bagua ring
• Later Heaven Bagua ring
• Sixty-Four Hexagrams ring
• Hexagram Period and Hexagram Energy ring

Detailed Compass Ring Reference

A standard comprehensive Luopan typically contains more than 19 rings. Here is what each ring represents:

Ring #	Ring Name	Primary Purpose	Schools That Use It
1	Heaven Pool (Taiji)	Establish North-South	All schools
2	Earlier Heaven Bagua	Indicates Earlier Heaven directions	San Yuan School
3	Later Heaven Bagua	Indicates Later Heaven directions	Eight Mansions School
4	Nine Stars Ring	Distribution of Greedy Wolf and other nine stars	Xuan Kong School
5	Twenty-Four Heavenly Stars	Heavenly stars mapped to earthly directions	Form School
6	Earth Plate Correct Needle 24 Mountains	Correct Needle direction setting	All schools
7	Twenty-Four Solar Terms	Solar terms mapped to directions	San He School
8	Seventy-Two Dragon Transits	Underground dragon identification	San He School
9	One Hundred Twenty Dragons	Gold division use	San He School
10	Human Plate Middle Needle 24 Mountains	Sand neutralization	Form School
11	Human Plate Middle Needle 120 Dragons	Human Plate Gold Division	San He School
12	Sixty Dragon Through Earth	Underground Qi guidance	San He School
13	Two Hundred Forty Gold Divisions	Precise Gold Division	San He School
14	Twelve Stellar Mansions	Stellar mansion correspondence	San Yuan School
15	Twelve Terrestrial Regions	Geographic correspondence	Form School
16	Heaven Plate Seam Needle 24 Mountains	Water intake use	San He School
17	Heaven Plate Seam Needle 120 Dragons	Heaven Plate Gold Division	San He School
18	Sixty Dragon Through Earth	Underground use	San He School
19	Whole Heaven Five Elements	Heavenly degree Five Elements	San Yuan School
20+	Sixty-Four Hexagrams and others	Xuan Kong Da Gua	San Yuan School

How to Choose the Right Luopan for You

Choose Based on Your Learning Stage

Beginners:

• Choose a comprehensive compass with fewer rings (19–24 rings)
• Moderate price, easier to learn the foundational layers
• Recommended brands: Taiwan Ri Xing Tang, Hong Kong Tung Sing Tong

Intermediate Practitioners:

• Choose a comprehensive compass with more rings (30–40 rings)
• Suitable for studying multiple schools
• Higher precision required

Professional Practitioners:

• Choose a high-precision comprehensive compass (40+ rings)
• Consider a custom-made specialized compass
• Premium brands include Dong Ding, Tung Sing Tong, Jin Yu Tang

Choose Based on Your School of Study

School Studied	Recommended Compass Type	Key Rings Needed
Form School	San He Compass	Twenty-Four Mountains, Chuan Shan Dragons
San He School	San He Compass	Twelve Growth Stages, Seventy-Two Dragons
Eight Mansions School	Simple Comprehensive Compass	Later Heaven Bagua, Twenty-Four Mountains
Xuan Kong Flying Star	San Yuan or Comprehensive	Twenty-Four Mountains (precise), Hexagram Lines
San Yuan School	San Yuan Compass	Earlier and Later Heaven Bagua, Sixty-Four Hexagrams
Multiple Schools	Comprehensive Compass	All rings

Luopan Quality Standards

Magnetic Needle Quality:

• High sensitivity, accurate directional pointing
• Strong magnetic force, minimal interference
• Sharp center pin with low friction

Dial Face Quality:

• Clear and accurate engravings
• Neat, legible characters
• Precisely aligned rings

Overall Build Quality:

• Square outer plate
• Smooth-rotating inner plate
• Perpendicular Heaven Heart crosshairs

Important Compass Usage Notes

Calibration Before Use

A new Luopan must be calibrated before first use:

1. Check that the Heaven Pool is level
2. Verify the magnetic needle is sensitive and responsive
3. Confirm the Heaven Heart crosshairs are perpendicular
4. Validate accuracy at a location with known true orientation

Precautions During Use

1. Keep away from interference sources: Stay away from electronics, magnets, and metal objects
2. Maintain level position: The compass must be held perfectly level at all times
3. Wait for stability: Only read the needle after it has fully stopped moving
4. Take multiple measurements: Measure the same location several times and average the readings
5. Record precisely: Note exact degrees and mountain directions accurately

Compass Care and Maintenance

1. Clean the dial face after each use
2. Avoid strong impacts and vibrations
3. Store in a protective case during long periods of non-use
4. Recalibrate the magnetic needle periodically

Summary of Core Differences Between School Compasses

Comparison Point	Form School / San He School	Compass School (Xuan Kong / San Yuan)
Compass Type	San He Compass	San Yuan Compass
Core Rings	Twelve Growth Stages, Seventy-Two Dragons	Sixty-Four Hexagrams, Hexagram Period Energy
Precision Required	Accurate to mountain direction	Accurate to the degree
Primary Measurement Focus	Dragon, Water, Sand, Acupoint	Sitting and Facing direction
Temporal Information	Limited	Extensive
Usage Complexity	Moderate	Advanced

The Luopan is the "eyes" of the Feng Shui practitioner. Each school emphasizes different aspects of compass use. Understanding these differences is essential for correctly learning and applying Feng Shui knowledge. Selecting a compass that fits your needs and mastering its operation is amandatory lesson for every serious student of this ancient art.

Related Articles

• [[../01-风水入门/46-如何选择风水罗盘.md|How to Choose a Feng Shui Compass: A Guide from Beginner to Professional]]
• [[../04-商业风水/52-商业风水与罗盘.md|Feng Shui Compass in Business Feng Shui]]
• [[../09-Yin Dwelling风水/52-Yin Dwelling风水中的罗盘使用技巧.md|Feng Shui Compass Techniques for Yin Dwelling Feng Shui]]
• [[../01-风水入门/51-风水测量工具大全.md|Complete Feng Shui Measurement Tools: From Traditional to Modern Equipment]]