Measurements and Feng Shui

The measurements used in Feng Shui has a long history. The Chinese measuring system was established in the Sung Dynasty (960-1279). A furniture builder designed and made the furniture for the royal family according to these rules, and they are still valid to this day. Many feng shui practitioners in China and Hong Kong use these measurements when they design office furniture, furniture in general, and other things.

Each object, like every color and every form, vibrates in its own, specific way. Depending on the size and proportions of an object, these vibrations affect us either favorably or unfavorably. We can often tell if an object is well balanced or not because we all have an innate feeling for it.

The ten lan, a ruler or measuring tape, is the tool that workmen use in determining favorable or unfavorable proportions.

The measuring unit of these rulers is unique. The length is 1 chih (1 feng shui foot), or 42.96 cm (16.9 inches), which corresponds to the diagonal of a square where one side measures 1 Chinese foot (approximately 30.3 cm) or 11.92 inches.

The feng shui foot, according to the I Ching or the 8 trigrams, is divided in 8 sections, and each section (1 tsun) measures approximately 5.4 cm (2.12 inches). After the eighth section, the whole cycle is repeated, so the 8 sections can be applied to every measurement.

In China, people have great respect for the dimensions of an object. It is no accident that a briefcase in China corresponds exactly to the feng shui measurements. They ensure success, luck, and growth, and people believe that the measurements will favorably affect what is inside.

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