XIII. General Principles of the Interior Configuration: How the Door, the Path, the Stove, the Counter, and the Register Take Up Qi

1. Draw the Path of Qi First, Then Place the Objects

The interior configuration is not a static Nine-Palace diagram — it is the continuous process of how qi and people move once the door opens. The surveyor should start from outside the door and draw one or more arrows tracing the route of entering, pausing, turning, browsing, consulting, closing a sale, and leaving. A food-service shop should additionally map the staff's routes for food prep, serving, bussing, and delivery-rider pickup; a retail shop should mark the routes for trying on items, fitting, collecting goods, and restocking.

Tradition's teaching that qi follows people, halts when it meets water, and turns when it meets a boundary can be used to check whether the path of qi is too straight, too fragmented, or colliding with itself. The main route should be clear without running straight through to the back in a single glance; secondary routes should be able to loop back rather than end in a dead corner. If the twists and turns formed by display fixtures leave customers disoriented or make it hard to escape in an emergency, that is not "a bend carrying sentience" — it is a flaw in the layout.

2. The Door Is the Shop's First Qi Mouth

The door should be proportioned to the shopfront. Too small a door makes receiving qi cramped; too large a door with a shallow shop lets qi scatter as soon as it enters. Where there are two doors, the primary and secondary should be distinguished: the primary door usually stays open with clear signage, while the secondary door serves an auxiliary role and should not form a straight pass-through with the primary door. Revolving doors, automatic doors, and folding doors each have their own rhythm of opening and closing; recording the actual open width in use matters more than reading it off a drawing alone.

The area inside and outside the door should be even and clear, free of a broken threshold, dripping water, odors, or a tall cabinet blocking it. If opening the door reveals the back door, a window, or a stairwell draining straight through, tradition calls this "piercing and leaking" (chuanxie); one can set up an off-center reception point, a low cabinet, or a visual focal point where it does not obstruct passage, so as to turn the route. A screen should not simply be as tall and dense as possible — completely blocking the sightline instead seals the qi in.

Which palace the door falls into must be judged by overlaying the Xuankong facing star, the annual star, and the exterior approach. The door itself is movement, and will activate the qi of its palace. An auspicious combination benefits from the door and path being put to use; a declining or inauspicious combination, if continuously activated by a major door, calls for caution. If the door genuinely cannot be moved, one can instead adjust how often it opens and closes, the division of labor between primary and secondary doors, and how the interior receives it — rather than sealing off a legal exit.

3. The Traditional Attention Given to the Shop Facade and Signage

The "gate tower" (menlou) is the overall momentum of the shop's facade, including the door frame, awning, signage, lighting, and the boundaries on either side. Tradition calls for the shopfront to be upright, its proportions harmonious, with cover above and support below, and neither side leaning. A sign that is crooked or damaged, characters that are obscured, or lighting that flickers unevenly all count, in terms of appearance, as qi out of order. Repairing genuine faults takes priority over adding auspicious decoration.

The Five Phases of the facade can be read together with its orientation and trade. A south-facing storefront already carries the image of Li Fire's manifest brightness, and if the sunlight and lighting are already intense, there is no need to pile on more sharp red shapes; a north-facing storefront is more yin, and where the star chart allows, warm lighting can lift its qi — but one should avoid making it even heavier with watery, damp qualities. The choice of metal, wood trim, stone, and glass should stay within the requirements of fire resistance, structure, and maintenance.

The height of the storefront should not be crowded by a huge piece of equipment above it, nor should it overreach to compete in height and disrupt the whole row of shopfronts along the street. Traditional "flourishing" does not mean glaring. A sign should be visible from the direction people approach, so that the exterior qi has something to recognize and return to — this, together with the bright hall in front of the door, jointly forms the qi-receiving layer.

4. The Interior Paths and Passages

The interior paths are the meridians of qi. The main passage, leading from the entrance to the core, should be moderate in width with a gradual series of nodes; if the entrance narrows abruptly like a bottleneck, qi is obstructed; if several equally wide branch paths appear right after entering, qi easily scatters. The primary and secondary paths can be distinguished through flooring material, ceiling lines, or the orientation of displays, without needing physical obstructions to force a turn.

A passage rushing straight at the register, the stove, the spirit tablet, or an office seat is, traditionally, too urgent a movement of qi. One can offset the position of the fixture or change the angle of the cabinet so that it receives the qi without taking the direct clash. Two passages pinching the register between them, like water cutting off a lone island, leaves staff with nothing to lean on and customers passing right behind them — unfavorable to gathering and holding. A back-area passage that is dim and blocked means qi comes to a halt right there, and should be cleared and given adequate basic lighting.

Stairs, in tradition, are qi moving up and down. A stairwell landing facing the door directly may draw incoming qi upward or let it drain downward; an escalator is especially notable for its continuous motion and the strength of its activation. A landing can serve as a buffer, letting the main business point sit where the moving qi can settle once it arrives. The area beneath a staircase should not house a spirit tablet or long-term seating — it carries both an image of being pressed upon and, often, real problems of collision and maintenance.

5. The Stove and the Fire Mouth

What fengshui for food service calls "the stove" (zao) is not just a single burner — it includes high heat, open flame, roasting, and the whole core of cooking. The stove's position is first governed by fire-safety, gas, ventilation, and hygiene codes. In the divinatory arts, what matters is which palace it occupies, the orientation of the stove's mouth, and its relation to the door and water. The stove belongs to yang fire, and is best given support and stable operation; it should not take a direct rush from the door or path, should not sit in a strong draft, and should not sit directly opposite a sink in close proximity.

"Water and fire completing each other" (shuihuo jiji) does not mean the sink and the stove must directly face one another. In practice, the layout usually follows the working sequence, letting washing, cutting, and cooking connect in turn, but there should be a counter buffer between water and fire to avoid splashing and danger. If a given palace in the star chart already has too much Fire and Earth, the stove's fire will only activate it further; if Fire is genuinely needed and the form is compliant, the stove can become a useful, real fire. The judgment must come down to the specific palace — one cannot simply claim that an east-facing or west-facing stove is always best.

An open kitchen sends its fire, smell, and sound directly into the front of the shop, leaning heavily toward yang; an enclosed back kitchen keeps its fire contained within. The two styles of business call for different treatments. Traditionally, fire should have somewhere to return to — the burner's mouth should not face the main door directly, letting the fire's qi leak straight out, and the stove should not sit pressed beneath a sewage pipe, a toilet, or any other unclean position. In a multi-story building, this must be checked against the actual pipe routing.

6. The Main Counter and Display Cabinets

The main counter carries the momentum of the merchandise and the brand. A tall cabinet, like sand, should be placed on the side that needs guarding and solid support; a low cabinet, like a case, can be used just inside the door to gather qi; a transparent cabinet leans toward the insubstantial, a solid cabinet toward the substantial. Tall cabinets on all four sides create confinement; an entirely empty center may instead let qi scatter. The layout should form a layering of high and low, front and back, suited to the shop's size.

A sharp-cornered cabinet pointing at the door, a seat, or the register is, traditionally, read as a corner clash, and also carries a real risk of bumping into it. Rounding the corner, angling it, or setting it back should be the first step, handled at the level of form. A mirrored cabinet enlarges the visual space and its reflections, well suited to functions like trying on clothing, but mirrors facing each other, or a mirror facing the door directly, can make the qi-image overly chaotic. A mirror should serve its actual use — one should not mistake endless reflections for doubled wealth.

The cabinet for valuable merchandise should sit in a zone that is controllable, visible, and backed by support, avoiding a straight through-line or a fast-moving spot right by the door. If the Xuankong facing star's flourishing position happens to be right at the entrance, traffic-drawing merchandise can be placed in that palace, while the point of final sale and safekeeping is set back a little, in a division of labor of "activate up front, gather in the back."

7. Fixing the Location of the Register

The register is often called the "wealth vault," but first of all it is a point for transactions, bookkeeping, and staff operation. Tradition calls for support behind it, a case-like counter in front, a view of the main door and path, distance from the toilet and refuse, and not being overly exposed. The support can be a solid wall or a stable tall cabinet — it should not have a window, a door, or a passing walkway behind it. The front need not be fully enclosed, but should leave room to receive and hand things to customers.

Fixing its location takes five steps: first exclude any spot that fails fire code or basic function; then avoid a direct rush from the door or path, a beam pressing overhead, a sharp corner, and being pinched between two passages; next choose, from the standpoint of form, a position with support and a clear overview; then overlay the house chart's facing star and the annual star; and finally simulate staff sightlines, queuing, and cash security. Only once all five steps are cleared is a register position usable.

The register's height and orientation should not follow one fixed standard. Seated service needs stable support and shelter; fast, standing checkout needs smooth flow. A cluttered counter, exposed cabling, and a broken drawer likewise count, traditionally, as a wealth vault out of order. Fixing the equipment and putting the bookkeeping in order matters more than placing a wealth-gathering trinket.

8. The Fixed Wealth Spot and the Dynamic Wealth Spot

Folk custom often calls the diagonal corner opposite the door the "bright wealth spot" (mingcaiwei) — this is a simplified reading in form school, taken because that corner sits away from the door's clash and can more readily gather and hold. It can serve as an initial screen, but if that diagonal corner happens to be the toilet, another door, a strong air-conditioning vent, or a palace the star chart says should not be activated, it cannot be mechanically stirred up regardless. One should first confirm that the corner is genuinely stable, clean, and supported, before deciding whether to arrange anything there.

The Xuankong wealth spot is a dynamic concept, generally weighing where the currently flourishing star and the life-generating star of the period fall, and where the facing star finds its proper use — and it also needs a door, water, or path in form to receive it. Having entered the ninth period, Nine Purple is currently flourishing, and the sequence of future stars likewise advances with time; but a palace holding Nine Purple does not automatically become the register's position — one must see whether it is the mountain star or the facing star, how it combines with the other star sharing that palace, and whether the exterior form there is a mountain or water.

The wealth spot can be divided into "drawing wealth in, gathering wealth, and guarding wealth." The door and the traffic flow carry the drawing-in; the bright hall and the main business point carry the gathering; the register, the bookkeeping, and the rear support carry the guarding. The three positions need not coincide. Crowding all the water features, lights, plants, safes, and auspicious trinkets into one single corner mixes the Five Phases together and makes the space hard to use — losing the very layering it was meant to achieve.

9. The Placement of a Spirit Tablet as a Matter of Cultural Custom

Some shops set up a spirit tablet (shenwei) in accordance with local custom. This article addresses it only from the standpoint of cultural propriety and the tidiness of the space, and makes no claim that a spirit tablet can guarantee any business outcome. Its placement should have the consent of the property owner, the property manager, and any co-operators, and must follow fire-safety rules against open flame. Many venues do not permit incense or candles, and a safe alternative, or simply forgoing any burning offering, should be used instead.

Tradition holds that a spirit tablet should be quiet, upright, clean, and backed by a solid wall, with nothing unclean, no toilet door, kitchen smoke, sharp corner, or frequent foot traffic disturbing it from the front; nothing unclean overhead such as a sewage pipe or cluttered heavy objects; and no refuse or shoes piled beneath it. Its orientation can be considered together with the shop's facing and local custom, but it should never occupy an evacuation route or compel staff to take part in a ritual.

If a shop has no shared belief among its staff, forgoing a spirit tablet entirely is perfectly fine. A brand memorial wall, a display of the trade's historical figures, or a simply quiet, tidy corner can carry the cultural symbolism instead — though historical figures should still be referred to with an honorific when mentioned. Every ritual should follow the principles of being voluntary, simple, and safe.

10. The Toilet, the Storeroom, and the Office

The toilet is a water mouth for waste, and should be discreet and clean, and should not face the main door, the register, the stove, or the spirit tablet directly. Where it cannot be relocated, keep its door closed, ventilated, dry, and clearly marked, and add a turn at its entrance if possible. One should never mask a plumbing problem with scent alone. A toilet falling in a so-called flourishing palace does not automatically mean a loss of wealth either — first check whether it is actually a source of contamination or continuous moving water, and only then judge the drain on the chart.

The storeroom belongs to storage, and should be stable, orderly, and manageable. Stacking goods to the ceiling, blocking a sprinkler, or obstructing a passage is not only unsafe, it also, traditionally, counts as stagnant qi. Fast-turnover goods can be placed near the restocking route, while long-term storage should be set toward the back with support. Expired, damaged, or unclaimed items should be disposed of according to regulation, rather than letting an image of decay occupy the operational core over the long term.

The office and the proprietor's seat should command an overview without being taken by the door's clash, should have support at the back, and should not be pinched too closely on either side. The seat's orientation can take a personal fate-trigram or a chart into account, but the manager must never be left with their back to customers, a blind spot on the monitors, or their back to a safety exit because of it. A personal preference is an auxiliary matter; operational duty and information security take priority.

11. Beams, Columns, Corners, and Low Ceilings

A crossbeam pressing down over the register, the stove, a seat, or the main passage is traditionally called "a beam pressing down" (liangya). A genuine structural beam should not be altered casually; one can instead adjust the position of the fixture to avoid the line of the beam, or use a code-compliant dropped ceiling to soften it visually, but access panels and fire-safety equipment must never be sealed off. A column corner facing a door or a seat can be treated with a rounded corner guard, integrated cabinetry, or a plant buffer, with the priority being to eliminate the risk of collision first.

A low-ceilinged space carries heavier yin qi and a stronger sense of pressure, and is better suited to a brief pass-through or storage than to serving as the whole shop's most active reception core. Where the building's structure imposes this limit, one can improve tidiness and even lighting and reduce hanging objects to keep the route clear. What tradition calls "pressure from above" must always be weighed against scale — a single line on the ceiling does not by itself amount to a serious sha.

12. Dividing the Interior into Zones of Movement and Stillness

Mark the shop's Nine Palaces as high-movement, medium-movement, or low-movement all at once. The main door, the escalator, the stove, the sound system, and flowing water count as high movement; the main passage, the display area, and reception count as medium movement; storage, bookkeeping, the spirit tablet, and a rest area count as low movement. Then mark the star chart's palaces as suited to movement or suited to stillness, and look for a match. A palace where the facing star flourishes and finds water and a path is usually suited to movement; a palace where the mountain star finds solid support is usually suited to stillness — but the combination and the actual form still require careful examination.

Where a full match cannot be found, the priority is to avoid adding a strong active fixture to a palace clearly unsuited to movement, and only then adjust the moderate-activity items. A light is a continuously moving fire; a sound system carries both sound and movement; a fan or air conditioner carries wind movement; flowing water carries water movement — each activates to a different degree. A small, static ornament generally carries far less force than a large door opening and closing hundreds of times a day, and the priority given to each should not be reversed.