Names across languages
風水
Feng Shui
風水
풍수
Alternate names: 堪輿; Kanyu; Chinese geomancy; 風水; ふうすい; 풍수지리
Reviewed definition
Feng shui is a family of historically developed Chinese cultural practices for interpreting and arranging environments through orientation, landform, water, built form and symbolic systems. Schools differ in method, vocabulary and authority, so the term should be read within a stated historical and cultural context rather than as one uniform technique.
Historical context
Related ideas developed through long interaction among Chinese geography, ritual, settlement and burial traditions, correlative cosmology and local knowledge, with distinct later forms across East Asia and overseas Chinese communities.
Modern-use note
Modern use may include cultural-history study, architectural or landscape discussion, place narratives and personal reflection. Responsible presentation identifies the school, sources, scope and uncertainty, while referring legal, safety, structural, medical and financial questions to qualified professionals.
現代では文化史、建築・景観の議論、場所の物語化、個人の省察に用いられる。流派、出典、範囲、不確実性を示し、法務・安全・構造・医療・財務は各専門家に委ねる必要がある。
현대에는 문화사 연구, 건축·조경 토론, 장소 서사와 개인 성찰에 활용될 수 있다. 학파, 출처, 범위와 불확실성을 밝히고 법률·안전·구조·의료·재무 문제는 해당 전문가에게 맡겨야 한다.
Limitations and cross-cultural caution
Feng shui statements must not be presented as established causal laws or used in place of building codes, engineering inspection, medical diagnosis, mental-health care, legal advice or investment advice. Observations and participant reports should be labelled at their actual evidence level and never as guaranteed outcomes.
The common translation “Chinese geomancy” can flatten several distinct traditions. Cross-cultural writing should retain the original term where useful and explain the specific usage, school and context.
Reviewed sources
Citations show what the review relied on. Contextual coverage supports description or tradition, not scientific causation.
Metropolitan Museum of Art educational overview of Chinese garden design, cultural concepts and the arrangement of contrasting spatial elements.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy overview used for the broader Chinese metaphysical and correlative-cosmology context surrounding key terms.