The short answer
A Bagua map relates eight outer areas and a centre to a chosen plan. Compass-based mapping uses measured directions; entrance-aligned BTB mapping uses a different reference. Choose the method first, then keep its orientation rule consistent throughout the reading.
Three lines make a trigram
Each trigram combines three solid or broken lines. Traditional readings associate them with such images as heaven, earth, water, fire, thunder, wind, mountain and lake. The Book of Changes includes a discussion of their relationships. Combining two trigrams produces a six-line hexagram, so a trigram is not itself a full hexagram.
Background: Chinese Text Project — The Book of Changes, Discussion of the Trigrams
Arrangement is part of the method
Early Heaven and Later Heaven are different arrangements, not alternative decorative rotations of the same chart. House Quest’s compass map uses Later Heaven: Kan in the North, Li in the South, Zhen in the East and Dui in the West. The remaining directions and their associations are shown explicitly below.
A diagram can be drawn with South at the top without changing those associations. Our homepage compass does this and says so. The editor’s floor plan uses its entered North bearing. Page-top is a display choice; a compass direction is an input that must stay consistent throughout a reading.
Background: Chinese Text Project — The Book of Changes, Discussion of the Trigrams
Compass School and BTB answer the alignment question differently
The compass-based map is aligned to the measured direction. The BTB option is aligned to the main entrance and uses an entrance-side row. Choosing one and then silently importing the other’s alignment changes what the map means. A comparison should begin by naming the school, its orientation rule and the shape being mapped.
Life-area names such as Career and Relationships are interpretive labels, particularly familiar in modern popular teaching. They should not be presented as literal translations of every ancient trigram or promises about life events. This product states its associations; the learning page gives the diagram’s context rather than claiming that all lineages use identical room advice.
A map is not the condition of the room
A sector can cover part of several rooms, and one room can span several sectors. A rectangular nine-grid and eight directional wedges also divide an irregular plan differently. The displayed partition is therefore part of the calculation, not an unavoidable feature of the building.
Once a map is drawn, still check whether the entered plan is complete. An unfinished L-shape can look like a missing area; an unconfirmed default bearing can put an overlay in the wrong direction. The tool pauses direction readings until the necessary inputs are available.
| Direction | Trigram | Image | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | ☵ Kan 坎 | Water | Water |
| North-East | ☶ Gen 艮 | Mountain | Earth |
| East | ☳ Zhen 震 | Thunder | Wood |
| South-East | ☴ Xun 巽 | Wind | Wood |
| South | ☲ Li 离 | Fire | Fire |
| South-West | ☷ Kun 坤 | Earth | Earth |
| West | ☱ Dui 兑 | Lake | Metal |
| North-West | ☰ Qian 乾 | Heaven | Metal |
| Centre | Tai Chi 中 | Connecting centre | Earth |
A door on the East wall: why two maps can disagree
Suppose the main door lies on the East side of an apartment. On a North-up plan, the door is drawn on the right. A compass-based Later Heaven map still places Kan in the North and Zhen in the East. The presence of the door does not rotate those named directions. The outer direction labels stay tied to the entered bearing, while the room boundaries determine which parts of the plan they cover.
Now compare an entrance-aligned BTB diagram. Its starting reference is the entrance side, rather than the North direction. The two maps may therefore attach different labels to the same physical corner. This is a difference in the method, not evidence that one software view has lost track of the room. Problems arise when a reader uses the compass positions but silently imports an entrance-side life-area label from another chart.
An irregular apartment adds another decision. Eight wedges and a rectangular nine-grid partition an L-shaped plan differently. Before interpreting a missing area, check whether the outline is complete and whether the map is applied to the whole home or one room. The correct boundary and a stated partition let another reader reproduce the diagram. Choosing a pleasing arrangement of labels without recording those inputs makes comparison much harder.
A way to work through it
- Decide whether you are mapping the entire home or one room, and finish its boundary.
- Choose compass-based or entrance-aligned mapping; confirm North when the chosen method requires it.
- Compare labels only after recording the orientation rule and the grid or sector partition used by each map.
Try an observation
Open the Bagua explorer and change from Compass School to BTB. Observe which input sets the alignment. Write the school and alignment rule next to any screenshot you keep.
Common questions
Should I align the Bagua to North or the front door?
That depends on the school. Compass-based mapping uses measured directions; BTB mapping uses an entrance reference. Choose one intentionally and follow its alignment rule. A generic image that omits its school is not enough to determine how it should be placed over your apartment.
Why are there nine areas but only eight trigrams?
Bagua means eight trigrams. A familiar nine-area diagram includes a centre alongside eight surrounding areas. The centre does not introduce a ninth trigram. Directional wedges and rectangular grids are also different ways of partitioning a floor plan.
Can I use a Bagua map in an apartment?
You can apply the selected indoor mapping method to an apartment outline, provided its inputs are clear. Define the mapped boundary and confirm the orientation when required. That indoor map does not supply external terrain, building history or other information needed by a more complete site reading.
Why is South at the top of some Bagua diagrams?
It is a display convention. A correctly labelled South-up diagram puts East on the left and West on the right. Rotate the display without changing the real directional associations. Check the direction labels before assuming that screen-top means the North of your floor plan.
Sources & further reading
- Chinese Text Project — The Book of Changes, Discussion of the Trigrams
Primary text; traditional trigram correspondences, not a modern room checklist.
Historical and traditional interpretations are distinguished from observable layout conditions. Worked examples are illustrative editorial scenarios, not documented client cases. Practical examples and product-scope explanations are editorial applications, not quoted source text. School conventions vary; these articles do not predict health, wealth or personal outcomes.