Reverse-Bow vs Jade-Belt Road: Which Side of the Curve

Feng shui for a house on a curved road or river: the jade-belt (玉带) position on the inside of the bend, the reverse-bow (反弓) position on the outside, what the classical texts say about each, and how to read a curve on a map.

Illustration of a curved road with one house inside the bend and another outside it — One curve, two positions: inside the bend (jade belt) and outside it (reverse bow). AI-generated illustration, not a real place.

In brief

✦When a road or river curves past a house, form-school feng shui cares which side of the bend the house is on.
✦On the inside of the bend, wrapped by the curve, is the jade belt (玉带): read as favourable, a road or water that embraces the site.
✦On the outside of the bend, with the curve bowing away, is the reverse bow (反弓): read as unfavourable. The Qing Ba Zhai Ming Jing calls a street 'bowing out like the back of a bow' inauspicious.
✦The reading is strongest when the bend sits right in front of the house and the road or water is wide or busy.
✦Curves are easier to see from above than from the street, which makes this one of the most useful checks to do on a satellite map.

Check which side of the curve an address is on

Inside and outside a curving road

Original schematic, not a measured or to-scale plan. Schematic top view of a road bending around one house. House A sits inside the bend, wrapped by the curve (jade belt, read as favourable). House B sits outside the bend, facing its convex side (reverse bow, read as unfavourable).

Annotated real street map of a curved street with a house inside the bend and one outside it — A real curved street: houses on the inner side sit within the embrace; houses on the outer side face its convex edge. Real street layout, location withheld; drawn by us from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Two sides of the same curve

Any bend in a road or river has an inside and an outside. A house on the inside sits within the embrace of the curve, like a waist inside a belt; that is the jade-belt position, 玉带环腰. A house on the outside faces the convex side of the bend, which bows away from it like the back of a drawn bow; that is the reverse bow, 反弓. The two are mirror images, and the classical texts treat them as opposites.

What the classical texts say

The Han Long Jing, the Tang-attributed classic of form school, puts it in one line: what lies in front should curve like a drawn bow, which is good, while a reversed bow is bad. The Ba Zhai Ming Jing lists 'a street that bows out like the back of a bow' as inauspicious, and the Zhai Fa Ju Yu includes 'reverse bows and slanting flights' among the water and road forms it calls unfavourable. On the favourable side, the Ming Yang Zhai Shi Shu says that jade-belt water in front of the gate brings officials and scholars to the family. Behind all of them is the idea that an embracing curve gathers qi and a curve that bows away lets it scatter.

Reading a curve: the table

Traditional readers weigh the curve by position and scale. The table summarises the usual distinctions.

Reading a curve: the table
Feature	Jade belt (inside)	Reverse bow (outside)
Position	House within the curve	House facing the convex side
Classical reading	Embraces and gathers qi	Bows away and scatters qi; read as a blade facing the house
Strongest when	The curve wraps the front of the house	The outer edge of the bend points at the front door
Weaker when	The curve is far away or behind the house	Screened by buildings, walls or trees, or far away
Water vs road	Calm, slow water is valued most	Fast water or a busy road on the outside of a bend is read as the most serious

How to check it on a map

Open the address in satellite view and zoom out until you can see where the road or river bends. Draw an imaginary arc along it. If your building sits in the hollow of the arc, you are on the jade-belt side; if the arc bulges toward you, you are on the reverse-bow side. Check rivers, canals, highways and on-ramps as well as streets. A gentle curve two blocks away matters far less than a sharp bend at your front boundary.

Traditional ways of reducing a reverse bow

As with road rush, the classical answers are distance and screening: a solid wall, hedge or line of trees between the house and the outer edge of the bend, and keeping the main door and bedrooms off the side that faces it. Some households use an entrance on a side that faces away from the bend. Mirrors and other objects are folk additions rather than part of the form-school texts.

Using the reading sensibly

A house on the outside of a bend can still be a good home, and a jade-belt position does not make a poor house good. On busy roads, the outside of a curve also has practical points of its own, such as headlights sweeping across windows and vehicles that run wide. Treat the classical reading as one layer, and check the practical ones directly.

FAQ

What is a reverse bow road in feng shui?

A road or river that curves past a house with the house on the outside of the bend, so the curve bows away from it. Classical texts read it as unfavourable.

What is jade belt water?

Water or a road that curves around a house with the house on the inside of the bend, wrapped like a waist in a belt. It is one of the most favourable features in form-school texts.

Does a curved driveway count?

Readers apply the same idea at smaller scale, but the classical texts weigh roads and waterways most. A short private driveway is a minor factor.

Is a reverse bow worse with water or with a road?

The texts discuss both. Fast water and busy roads on the outside of a bend are read as the most serious cases.

Classical terms in this guide

Each term page quotes the original classical texts.

Sources and verification

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