Bagua Map on a Floor Plan: Compass and Entrance Methods

Place a bagua map on a simple floor plan, distinguish compass and entrance alignment, and check what a diagram can actually tell you.

Start with a free exterior preview

A north-up nine-cell example

Original teaching schematic, not a measured or to-scale plan. Rectangular grid with north at the top and an entrance midway along the west side. This is neither an entrance-aligned map nor eight angular sectors.

Choose the alignment before drawing the map

A bagua map is a traditional framework for organizing space. Two diagrams can disagree because they use different reference points. A compass-aligned Later Heaven bagua follows measured directions; the BTB Three Door method aligns its entry edge with the entrance. State which method you are using before adding labels. This guide works through a compass-aligned example. It is a reading exercise, not an assessment of a real home.

Prepare one floor and a north reference

Start with a legible plan of one floor. Mark the enclosing walls, room names, main windows and the entrance. Record whether the north arrow comes from a survey drawing, an oriented map or a phone observation. A screenshot may have been rotated: the top of the page is not automatically north. If the plan and your compass use different north references, resolve that difference before overlaying directions.

Overlay a simple nine-cell reference

For the rectangular teaching plan below, rotate the drawing so its verified north is up. Divide its width and depth into three equal parts. The center is a reference cell, surrounded by eight directional labels. This nine-cell sketch is deliberately simplified: it is not the same partition as eight 45-degree wedges drawn from a center point. Do not take a room assigned by one partition and quietly interpret it using the other.

Overlay a simple nine-cell reference
Position on this north-up diagram	Direction	Later Heaven trigram
Top left	NW	Qian 乾
Top middle	N	Kan 坎
Top right	NE	Gen 艮
Middle left	W	Dui 兑
Middle right	E	Zhen 震
Bottom left	SW	Kun 坤
Bottom middle	S	Li 离
Bottom right	SE	Xun 巽

Worked example: an entrance on the west side

Assume a rectangular plan 10 metres east–west and 8 metres north–south. Its geometric center is 5 metres from either east–west edge and 4 metres from either north–south edge. On a north-up drawing, a door halfway along the left wall is on the west side; a kitchen occupying the upper-right cell is in the northeast cell. An entrance-aligned chart uses a different reference. Moving the door does not move geographic north, so do not rotate the compass map merely to put that door at the bottom.

Rooms crossing a line and irregular outlines

A room may occupy several cells. Record both rather than squeezing its whole area into one label. For an L-shaped flat, an open terrace or a duplex, first write down what outline and floor you are analyzing. An enclosing rectangle and the center of the actual floor area need not coincide. There is no universal correction supplied by this example; keep the assumption visible or seek a method-specific review. A blank corner on a drawing does not establish a personal misfortune.

Use the map to organize observations

Keep a second layer of notes for daylight, noise, ventilation, access and furniture clearances. Those are observable conditions; trigram names are traditional classifications. A colored sector is not evidence that an object placed there will produce money or improve health. Before relocating furniture, check the real room, circulation and everyone who uses it. A floor plan alone does not show the outside terrain or street activity.

What the website tools add

Our free exterior preview starts from an address and available surrounding imagery. It does not automatically apply a verified bagua to an uploaded plan. The Eight Mansions tool covers personal direction classifications, which are a separate layer. For a full-report option, check its current scope and supply the actual floor plan and orientation information requested; a remote interpretation still depends on those inputs.

FAQ

Does the front door always mark north?

No. North is a direction. An entrance-aligned bagua uses a different reference rule; it should not be relabeled as a compass measurement.

Should I use a square grid or pie-shaped sectors?

Choose the partition required by the method you are following and keep it consistent. This article illustrates a simplified nine-cell grid, not an interchangeable substitute for an angular sector plan.

Can a bagua calculator find my home’s orientation from my birthday?

No. A birthday can support a personal classification; it does not locate walls, north or the home’s facing.

Is the diagram a map of my home?

No. It is an original teaching schematic. Its rectangular shape, north arrow and door position are explicit assumptions.

Sources and verification

IFSG glossary: compass bagua and BTB terminology (PDF)

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