The 24 mountains (二十四山): beyond the eight directions二十四山：比八方位更精确的方向

Ask most people which way their home faces and they'll say “south” or “northeast”. The eight directions are a useful starting point. A traditional compass, the luopan (罗盘), adds a finer layer of precision by dividing the circle into 24 sectors known as the 24 mountains (二十四山). This guide explains what they are and why the extra precision matters.

问大多数人家里朝哪个方向，答案通常是“南”或“东北”。八个方位是很好的起点；传统的罗盘则更进一步，把圆周细分为二十四个区块，称为二十四山。这份指南说明二十四山是什么，以及为什么这份精细很重要。

From 8 directions to 24 mountains从八个方位到二十四山

The eight directions each cover 45°. The 24 mountains split each direction into three equal parts of 15°. So instead of one “south”, there are three: 丙, 午 and 丁.

八个方位，每个占 45°。二十四山把每个方位再平分为三，每山 15°。所以“南方”不只一个，而是丙、午、丁三座山。

What the 24 mountains are made of二十四山由什么组成

• 12 Earthly Branches: 子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥. The four cardinal directions sit exactly on 子 (north), 卯 (east), 午 (south) and 酉 (west).
• 8 Heavenly Stems: 甲、乙、丙、丁、庚、辛、壬、癸. 戊 and 己 belong to the centre, so they don't take a direction.
• 4 trigrams on the diagonals: 艮 (northeast), 巽 (southeast), 坤 (southwest) and 乾 (northwest).

• 十二地支：子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥。四正方位正好落在子（北）、卯（东）、午（南）、酉（西）。
• 八天干：甲、乙、丙、丁、庚、辛、壬、癸。戊、己属中央，所以不占方位。
• 四卦位于四隅：艮（东北）、巽（东南）、坤（西南）、乾（西北）。

Together that makes 12 + 8 + 4 = 24. North, for example, runs from 壬 (337.5–352.5°) through 子 (352.5–7.5°) to 癸 (7.5–22.5°).

合起来就是 12 + 8 + 4 = 24。以北方为例，依次是壬（337.5–352.5°）、子（352.5–7.5°）、癸（7.5–22.5°）。

Why the precision matters为什么精确很重要

Two homes that both “face south” can sit in different mountains, and in Feng Shui they are read differently. A home facing 丙 and one facing 丁 are only about 30° apart, but the way energy is assessed in each can change.

两间同样“朝南”的房子，可能落在不同的山，风水上的解读也就不同。朝丙与朝丁只相差约 30°，但评估气场的方式可能就不一样。

On my own site visits, the readings that need the most care are the ones that land on the line between two mountains, especially when those two mountains belong to different directions, such as the last mountain of south and the first of southwest. When that happens, I take the measurement again several times from different spots, and make sure nothing nearby is pulling the compass off: metal frames, magnetic objects, electrical equipment. It's worth the extra time, because a different direction can lead to a completely different audit.

在我的实地勘察中，最需要小心的，是读数正好落在两山交界的情况，尤其当这两座山分属不同方位，例如南方的最后一山与西南的第一山。遇到这种情况，我会在不同位置反复测量几次，并确保附近没有干扰罗盘的东西，例如金属框架、带磁性的物品或电器。多花这些时间是值得的，因为方位一变，整个勘察的结论也可能完全不同。

Eight directions tell you roughly where you are. The 24 mountains tell you exactly.

八个方位告诉你大概在哪里，二十四山告诉你准确在哪里。

Facing and sitting坐与向

Every home has a facing (向) and a sitting (坐), which are opposite each other: a home that faces 午 sits on 子. Deciding which side of a home counts as its facing is itself part of the assessment, especially in apartments, where the main door, the balcony and the building itself may point different ways.

每间房子都有“向”与“坐”，两者相对：朝午的房子，就是坐子。判断房子哪一面才算“向”，本身就是勘察的一部分，尤其是公寓，大门、阳台与整栋楼的朝向可能各不相同。

How the direction is measured方位如何测量

A proper reading is taken on site with a luopan, at more than one spot, away from metal and electrical equipment. A phone compass can give you a rough idea, but in Singapore's steel-and-concrete buildings it can easily be off by several degrees, and with sectors only 15° wide, that is enough to land in the wrong mountain.

准确的读数，要在现场用罗盘测量，并在多个位置量度，远离金属与电器。手机指南针可以给你一个大概，但在新加坡钢筋水泥的建筑里，误差很容易就有好几度；而每山只有 15°，这已足以落到另一座山。