1 Definition
Hình Sát (形煞) is the Sha Qi produced by the FORMS outside or inside a house, which harms the health, the wealth and the household of the people living there.
"Hình" (形) = form. "Sát" (煞) = bad energy, harmful Qi.
Hình Sát 形煞 is the most practical part of feng shui and the easiest to check. Anyone can spot it without a compass.
2 Sha Outside the House 外形煞
1. Lộ Xung 路沖 路沖: a road driving straight in ★★★
- What it is: a road or lane driving straight at the main door.
- The harm: accidents, illness, money lost, unease.
- Severity: VERY SEVERE, and the commonest Sha of all.
- The remedy: plant a screen of trees, set a screen wall, a convex Bagua mirror, or an aquarium.
2. Thiên Trảm Sát 天斬煞 天斬煞: the gap between two buildings ★★★
- What it is: the house faces the gap between two tall buildings.
- The image: like a blade cleaving down from the sky.
- The harm: illness, surgery, accidents.
- The remedy: a convex mirror, greenery, curtains.
3. Phản Cung Sát 反弓煞 反弓煞: a curved road turning its back ★★★
- What it is: the house sits OUTSIDE the curve, with the road bending away from it.
- The harm: wealth drains away, discord in the household.
- The reverse: a house INSIDE the curve is GOOD, as the road embraces it.
- The remedy: plant trees as a screen, add a water feature or feng shui stones.
4. Tiễn Sát 箭煞 箭煞: the arrow ★★
- What it is: a sharp corner of a building, a pointed roof, or an electricity pole aimed at the house.
- The harm: illness, litigation, sudden misfortune.
- The remedy: a Bagua mirror, greenery, a screen wall.
5. Xuyên Tâm Sát 穿心煞 穿心煞: piercing the heart of the house ★★
- What it is: an electricity pole, a large tree or a lamp post DIRECTLY in front of the main door.
- The harm: heart disease, wealth in decline.
- The remedy: move the main door, add a screen wall or a screening tree.
6. Cách Giác Sát 隔角煞 隔角煞: a sharp corner aimed at the house ★★
- What it is: the sharp corner of a neighbouring building points at your house.
- The harm: conflict, illness, a loss of security.
- The remedy: a convex mirror, dense greenery, curtains.
7. Bạch Hổ Sát 白虎煞 白虎煞: the White Tiger too high ★★
- What it is: the building or mound on the RIGHT is higher than the one on the LEFT, looking out from inside.
- The harm: the female side too strong, litigation, discord.
- The remedy: raise the left side, the Thanh Long 青龍, and plant trees there.
8. Cô Phong Sát 孤峰煞 孤峰煞: standing alone ★★
- What it is: a house or building standing on its own, with open ground all round.
- The harm: isolation, difficulty connecting, strong wind.
- The remedy: plant trees around it, creating an artificial Sa 砂.
9. Kính Sát 鏡煞 鏡煞: glare ★
- What it is: the glass of the building opposite reflects light into the house.
- The harm: dazzle, irritability, unease, fire.
- The remedy: curtains, anti-glare glass, greenery.
10. Âm Sát 陰煞 陰煞: a place heavy with Yin Qi ★
- What it is: a house near a cemetery, a hospital or an abandoned temple.
- The harm: illness, gloom, hauntings, sleeplessness.
- The remedy: strong light, red and yellow, incense.
11. Ngô Công Sát 蜈蚣煞 蜈蚣煞: a tangle of wires like a centipede ★
- What it is: a tangle of electrical wires and pipes, like a centipede's legs, pointing at the house.
- The harm: the Qi in front of the door is disordered. The household attracts gossip and disputes, the stomach and bowels fall ill easily, and small children need particular care.
- The remedy:
- hang a brass gourd or a brass rooster as a remedy.
- plant a tree to screen the tangle of wires.
- use a curtain to block the view.
12. Đỉnh Tâm Sát 頂心煞 頂心煞: a pillar standing in the middle of the doorway ★★
- What it is: an electricity pole, a lamp post or a tall column standing right in the middle in front of the door.
- The harm: with a column blocking the centre of the door, the household grows short-tempered, falls ill easily and gets caught in gossip and litigation. In severe cases, guard against accident and injury.
- The remedy:
- set a screen wall or a small garden feature in front of the column.
- shift the door off the axis of the column if you can.
- hang a convex Bagua mirror facing the column.
3 Sha Inside the House 內形煞
1. Xuyên Đường Sát 穿堂煞 穿堂煞: a draught blowing straight through ★★★
- What it is: the front door lines up with the back door or a large window, so the wind blows straight through.
- The harm: money comes in and goes straight out, and nothing is kept.
- The remedy: a screen wall, a bookcase or a curtain to break the line.
2. Xà Áp Đỉnh 樑壓頂 梁壓頂: a beam pressing down ★★★
- What it is: a beam, a concrete girder, runs above the bed, the desk or the sofa.
- The harm: headaches, pressure, illness, a career that will not move.
- The remedy: a false ceiling to hide the beam, uplighters, or move the seat or the bed.
3. Môn Xung Môn 門沖門 門沖門: door facing door ★★
- What it is: two room doors directly facing one another.
- The harm: quarrels and conflict between the occupants of the two rooms.
- The remedy: a curtain, a screen, or rehang the door to open the other way.
4. A Mirror Facing the Bed 鏡對床: a mirror reflecting the bed ★★
- What it is: a mirror placed opposite the bed.
- The harm: sleeplessness, waking with a start, discord between husband and wife, wandering affections.
- The remedy: move the mirror, or cover it at night.
5. The Stove Facing the Lavatory 廚廁對沖 ★★
- What it is: the cooking stove faces or adjoins the lavatory.
- The harm: digestive illness, wealth in decline.
- The remedy: keep the lavatory door shut and put a plant between them.
6. The Stairs Facing the Door 梯對門 ★★
- What it is: the staircase runs straight down to the main door.
- The harm: wealth runs downhill and the Qi does not gather.
- The remedy: a screen wall, greenery, a red rug.
7. The Stove Facing the Main Door: you see the stove the moment the door opens ★★
- What it is: the cooking stove looks straight out at the main door, and wealth scatters easily.
- The harm: the fire is exposed to the outside, money comes in and leaves again, and meals in the house lose their warmth.
- The remedy:
- set a screen wall to block the line.
- hang a curtain.
8. A Lavatory in the Central Palace 中宮 廁居中宮: the lavatory in the middle of the house ★★★
- What it is: the lavatory sits at the centre of the house.
- The harm: the Central Palace is the heart of the house. Put something unclean there and the whole household grows listless, the bowels give trouble, and wealth and family fortune drain away.
- The remedy:
- keep it extremely clean.
- ventilate it well and light it brightly.
- keep the door shut and the lid down.
9. The Altar Facing or Beneath a Lavatory: the altar pressed on or aimed at by a lavatory ★★
- What it is: the altar faces the lavatory, or a lavatory on the floor above sits over the altar.
- The harm: a place of worship tainted by unclean Qi loses its dignity. The ancestors and the spirits are not at rest, the family fortune struggles, and the household's work meets obstruction.
- The remedy:
- move the altar; this comes before anything else.
- set a screen wall to block the line.
- keep the lavatory door shut at all times.
10. The Head of the Bed Against a Window: sleeping with a window behind your head ★
- What it is: the head of the bed sits right against a window, where the Qi comes and goes unsteadily.
- The harm: shallow sleep, waking with a start, and over time headaches and a stiff neck and shoulders.
- The remedy:
- move the bed so that its head rests against a wall.
- use a heavy curtain over the window.
11. A Bed with No Wall Behind It: nothing at your back ★
- What it is: the head of the bed stands clear, with no solid support behind it.
- The harm: with nothing to lean on, the mind is unsettled: the sleeper worries, and lacks support in important matters.
- The remedy:
- set the head of the bed against a solid wall.
- do not let the head of the bed rest against a door or an open space.
12. Bích Đao Sát 壁刀煞 壁刀煞: a sharp edge aimed at a person ★★
- What it is: the corner of a wall, the edge of a column or a beam, pointing straight at a seat or a bed.
- The harm: a sharp edge cuts like a blade into the place where you sit or lie. The nerves tighten, quarrels come easily, and the part of the body the edge points at falls ill over time. In severe cases, guard against the knife.
- The remedy:
- round off the sharp edge or clad it in wood.
- place a round-leaved plant at the corner.
- move the furniture or the bed out of the line.
13. The Main Door Facing a Lift: you open the door onto the lift ★★
- What it is: opening the door you look straight at a lift or a flight of stairs going down, and the Qi slides away.
- The harm: a lift opening and closing all day pulls the Qi out of the house. Money is not kept, people come and go, and nothing settles.
- The remedy:
- set a screen wall or a half-height cabinet to block it.
- hang a bead curtain or a fabric curtain to block the view.
- put a mat and a plant at the entrance.
4 A Summary of the Remedies
| Remedy | Used for |
|---|---|
| A Bagua mirror, convex | Lộ Xung 路沖, Tiễn Sát 箭煞, Cách Giác 隔角 → reflects the Sha Qi back |
| A screen wall 屏風 | Xuyên Đường 穿堂, stairs → stops the draught |
| Greenery | Most kinds of Sha Qi → absorbs the Sha and creates a Sa 砂 |
| Curtains | Kính Sát 鏡煞, a mirror facing the bed, door facing door |
| Feng shui stones | Phản Cung 反弓, Cô Phong 孤峰 → steadies the Qi |
| A false ceiling | Xà Áp Đỉnh 樑壓頂 → hides the beam |
| An aquarium or water | Lộ Xung 路沖, Phản Cung 反弓 → turns the Sha into wealth |
| Bright light | Âm Sát 陰煞, dark places → raises the Yang Qi |
| A wall or fence | Lộ Xung 路沖, Tiễn Sát 箭煞 → a physical block |
| A brass gourd, a brass rooster | Ngô Công Sát 蜈蚣煞 → dissolves the tangle of wires |
| Wood cladding, rounded edges | Bích Đao Sát 壁刀煞 → blunts the sharp edges indoors |
| A half-height cabinet, a bead curtain | The door facing a lift → keeps the Qi from sliding out |
AN IMPORTANT NOTE:
- A Bagua mirror is hung ONLY OUTSIDE the house, NEVER indoors.
- A flat Bagua mirror pushes back. A convex one disperses.
- Do not overuse remedies. "Too much medicine becomes poison."
5 In Summary
📋 Hình Sát 形煞 in feng shui, in summary
Hình Sát 形煞 divides into Ngoại Sát 外煞 (outside: Lộ Xung 路沖, Thiên Trảm 天斬, Phản Cung 反弓 and the rest) and Nội Sát 內煞 (inside: Xuyên Đường 穿堂, Xà Áp Đỉnh 樑壓頂, a mirror facing the bed and the rest). Severity: ★★★ very severe, ★★ moderate, ★ mild. Remedies: a Bagua mirror, a screen wall, greenery, curtains, light, a false ceiling, an aquarium. Do not overuse them.