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The Qi of Heaven and Earth begins at the middle of Zi (Rat hour). Zi is located in the due North, named Shuofang (Northern Direction), also called Youdu (Dark Capital). "You" means hidden and subtle, referring to the state where all things have not yet been born, hidden and unobservable. "Shuo" means end and beginning, referring to the extreme of Yin Qi and the start of Yang Qi. Shao Yong said: Yang Qi arises from the North and reaches its limit in the North. Therefore, the *Book of Documents* states that the North is called "Shuoyi" (Change of Beginning), which means getting rid of the old and renewing the new. Generally, from Zi to Hai, it cycles back to the start, thereby establishing the positions of East, West, South, North, and Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Zi and Wu are the extremes of Yin and Yang; Mao and You are the middles of Yin and Yang; these are called the Four Cardinal Directions. Once the Four Cardinals are fixed, two branches are interspersed between each corner, forming the Twelve Palaces (Twelve Earthly Branches); five branches are interspersed between each corner, forming the Twenty-Four Orientations (Twenty-Four Mountains). Furthermore, according to the Nine Palaces of the Luoshu, positions are divided into the Eight Trigrams. The Fuxi Bagua is called the Pre-Heaven Bagua. In this arrangement, Qian is in the South, Kun in the North, Li in the East, and Kan in the West. Counting by left and right, from South to East: Qian 1, Dui 2, Li 3, Zhen 4; from West to North: Xun 5, Kan 6, Gen 7, Kun 8. The King Wen Bagua is called the Post-Heaven Bagua. Li symbolizes Fire and resides in the South; Kan symbolizes Water and resides in the North; Zhen symbolizes Wood and resides in the East; Dui symbolizes Metal and resides in the West. Counting in order, Qian starts in the Northwest and rotates counter-clockwise: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui, thus circling the Eight Palaces. The Pre-Heaven Bagua uses Qian and Kun to divide Heaven and Earth, establishing the positions of Upper and Lower. The Post-Heaven Bagua uses Kan and Li to divide Water and Fire, establishing the directions of North and South. In the Pre-Heaven Bagua, Qian is in the due South, Kun in the due North; Yang is in the South, Yin in the North. In the Post-Heaven Bagua, Qian is in the Northwest, Kun in the Southwest; Yang is in the North, Yin in the South. Thus, in the Pre-Heaven Bagua, although Xun, Li, and Dui are Yin trigrams, they originate from the body of Qian, so they are positioned above; although Zhen, Kan, and Gen are Yang trigrams, they originate from the body of Kun, so they are positioned below. In the Post-Heaven Bagua, Qian interacts with Kun, transforming into Kan Water residing in the North; Kun interacts with Qian, transforming into Li Fire residing in the South. The body of Heaven leans towards the North but deviates to the West, so Qian retreats to the Northwest. The body of Earth belongs to Earth element and follows Fire, so Kun resides provisionally in the Southwest. Xun resides in the Southeast, as Wood precedes Fire/Earth. Gen stops in the Northeast, facing Kun. Since the Father Qian is in the North, the three sons Kan, Gen, and Zhen follow him to reside below. Since the Mother Kun is in the South, the three daughters Xun, Li, and Dui follow her to reside forward. The Pre-Heaven Bagua divides Left and Right by Upper and Lower, so Qian and Kun form the vertical axis, and the Six Children form the horizontal axis. The Post-Heaven Bagua divides Yin and Yang by East and West, so Zhen and Dui form the horizontal axis, and the six trigrams form the vertical axis. In the Pre-Heaven Bagua, the last lines of Qian and Kun intersect at the Solstices (Dongzhi and Xiazhi). Li is the Sun, so it rises in the East; Kan is the Moon, so it is born in the West. In the Post-Heaven Bagua, the middles of Zhen and Dui correspond to the Equinoxes (Chunfen and Qiufen). From Zhen southward, Xun and Li are lands of Wood and Fire; from Dui northward, Qian and Kan are regions of Metal and Water. Therefore, the *Commentary on the Appended Phrases* says: "The Emperor emerges from Zhen, is arranged by Xun, meets in Li, renders service in Kun, speaks in Dui, fights in Qian, labors in Kan, and completes words in Gen." This clearly illustrates the prosperity of Spring and Summer in the Southeast and the decline of Autumn and Winter in the Northwest. The Pre-Heaven Bagua describes the image of the Six Directions; the Post-Heaven Bagua clarifies the details of climate. Thus, Shao Yong said: The Pre-Heaven is the substance of Yi (Changes); the Post-Heaven is the function of Yi.

The body of Heaven is perfectly round, facing South and backing North. The North and South Poles are the pivots of its rotation. The North Pole is above and honored; the South Pole is below and opposite. Shao Yong said: The Yang of Heaven is in the South, Yin in the North; the Yin of Earth is in the South, Yang in the North. Since Heaven's Yang is in the South, the Sun resides there. Since Earth's rigidity is in the North, Mountains reside there. The *Hetu Kuodi Xiang* states: The Northwest is the Heavenly Gate, the Southeast is the Earthly Door. The *Huangdi Neijing* states: Heaven is deficient in the Northwest, Earth is incomplete in the Southeast. Thus, it is said that the Heavenly Gate has no upper limit, and the Earthly Door has no lower limit. It is also said: The Southeast direction is Yang; the essence of Yang descends downwards. The Northwest direction is Yin; the essence of Yin is offered upwards. Therefore, when Yang descends downwards, Yang becomes abundant and Yin weak, so the Southeast direction is often hot. When Yin is offered upwards, Yin becomes abundant and Yang weak, so the Northwest region is often cold. Kunlun Mountain stands in the Northwest, so the Northwest is high and mountainous. The Great Ocean bathes in the Southeast, so the Southeast is low and watery. High places are often cold; low places are often hot. In the Southeast, Yang prevails, causing air to be steaming, so the Qi of Spring and Summer is often misty/smoky. In the Northwest, Yin prevails, causing air to be biting/cold, so the Qi of Autumn and Winter is often windy/hazy. China's geographical advantage lies southeast of Kunlun, so all mountain ranges in the world originate from Kunlun. Where mountains originate, water sources also begin. Therefore, China's mountains come from the Northwest; China's waters also originate from the Northwest. Zhu Xi said: Generally, where two rivers flow side by side, there must be a mountain in between; where two mountains run parallel, there must be water in between. Examining the map of China, its mountain range originates from Kunlun, winding over twenty-four thousand three hundred li into China. It divides the great dragon into three barriers outside, and the great river into two channels inside, thereby achieving the grandeur of China's rivers and mountains. From this, the four directions are established, meeting the Twelve Earthly Branches; the Twenty-Eight Mansions are distinguished, detailing the territorial divisions. The Three Dynasties divided the land into Nine Provinces; Yu Shun divided it into Twelve Provinces; the late Zhou period divided it into Twelve States; Qin had Thirty-Six Commanderies; Han had Thirteen Departments; Jin had Nineteen Provinces; Song had Twenty-Two Provinces; Tang had Ten Circuits; Song had Twenty-Three Routes; Yuan had Twelve Provinces and Twenty-Two Circuits. In our dynasty, it is divided into Two Directly Administered Regions and Thirteen Provinces. The celestial phenomena and maps remain consistent from ancient times to the present.