A Traditional Chinese Feng Shui Guide to Auspicious Floors, Flying Stars & Building Orientation
When choosing an apartment, many people consider factors such as location, natural light, views, floor height, and convenience. In traditional Chinese Feng Shui, the floor level of a home can also be considered as part of the overall energetic relationship between the building, its orientation, and its occupants.
Traditional Feng Shui does not simply classify one floor as universally “good” or “bad.” Instead, the auspiciousness of a particular floor may be evaluated according to the current Feng Shui period, the building's orientation, and the Yin-Yang qualities associated with its sitting direction.
How Does Feng Shui Determine an Auspicious Floor?
In the traditional Flying Stars Feng Shui (Xuan Kong Fei Xing) system, the current Feng Shui period is used as a starting point for calculating the Flying Star associated with the building's ground floor.
The sequence is then determined according to whether the building's sitting direction is traditionally classified as Yin or Yang.
- Yang sitting direction: the sequence is calculated forward.
- Yin sitting direction: the sequence is calculated in reverse.
This creates a different Flying Star association for each floor.
Therefore, two apartments in the same building may not necessarily have the same Feng Shui interpretation simply because they are located on different floors.
Example: A Five-Story Building
Consider a five-story building with a Wei (未) Mountain and Chou (丑) Facing.
During Period 8, the ground floor begins with the Eight White Star (八白星).
Because the sitting direction is traditionally classified as Yin, the Flying Star sequence is calculated in reverse:
| Floor | Flying Star |
|---|---|
| 1st Floor | Eight White Star (八白) |
| 2nd Floor | Seven Red Star (七赤) |
| 3rd Floor | Six White Star (六白) |
| 4th Floor | Five Yellow Star (五黄) |
| 5th Floor | Four Green Star (四绿) |
According to this traditional interpretation, the Eight White Star on the first floor is associated with the most prosperous energy of Period 8, while the other stars are considered to have entered different stages of their cycle.
For this particular example, the first floor would therefore be considered the most auspicious.
Does a Higher Floor Always Have Better Feng Shui?
Not necessarily.
Modern apartment living often assumes that higher floors are automatically better because they may offer more sunlight, less street noise, better views, and greater privacy.
Traditional Feng Shui, however, looks at additional factors beyond height.
A floor may be evaluated together with:
- Building orientation
- Sitting and facing direction
- Flying Stars
- Yin-Yang characteristics
- Five Element relationships
- The surrounding environment
- The entrance and internal layout
- The relationship between the home and its occupants
This means that there is no universal rule stating that the highest floor is always the most auspicious.
A Modern Perspective on Feng Shui Floors
For ETHERAO, Feng Shui can be understood as a traditional framework for thinking about the relationship between people, buildings, direction, environment, and space.
The traditional Flying Stars system offers one way of interpreting these relationships. It should be viewed as part of a broader evaluation rather than as a guaranteed prediction of wealth, health, or life outcomes.
When choosing an apartment, practical considerations such as location, safety, structural quality, natural light, ventilation, noise, accessibility, and budget should remain important factors.
Traditional Feng Shui can then provide an additional cultural and symbolic perspective when comparing otherwise similar properties.
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