The concept of Ming Gua (命卦) in 8 mansions feng shui assigns a Gua number to every individual based on gender and date of birth.
This ming gua is sometimes known as the life gua, life star, or simply as a personal gua number. The latter being the most common.
The trigram that represents Gua 3 is Zhen ☳, which will assign it with the wood element by default.
Learners new to feng shui should be mindful that even though a person with gua 3 will be linked to the Zhen trigram, the feng shui assessment of a house might mean that a different trigram within the premises is determined to be the most influential on the individual in question.
This is because the energy make-up of a property is different than that of an individual.
Attributes of Gua 3
Gua 3 personalities can be rigid as wood. They are often single-minded in their approach and perception of things, making it incredibly difficult to change their minds on a position that they already lean towards.
While this can seem like a flaw on the surface, the many stories of the most successful people embody the single-minded characteristics that pushed them towards greatness.
Inflexible personalities also have a deep respect for rules-based environments. Making them great contributors to jobs in the government sectors.
The preference for predictability and stability is a key driving force that shapes their life decisions.
This authoritative and straight-talking nature also often give gua 3 individuals a drawing aura that attracts others when there is trouble. Sort of like a tree providing shelter when it’s raining.
Personal development is a theme of life. And those with gua 2 are often the type of people would look for opportunities to learn new skill or upgrade their current skills. It’s no surprise to find them as some of the most creative people you will ever meet.
Patience is not a virtue you can expect from gua 3.
Basic feng shui
Those of Gua 3 will belong to the East group in Ba Zhai feng shui.
And they will have the following directions mapped out of auspicious and inauspicious directions and sectors.
| Gua | SC | TY | YN | FW | 5G | 6K | HH | JM |
| 3 | S | N | SE | E | NW | NE | SW | W |
While the above tables clearly states the good and bad directions of gua 3, it must be noted that the resource star 绿存星 has a big influence on it’s energy source.
This affiliated links gua 3 to the Huo Hai sector.
And because of the relation gua 3 has with the earth element, earth and metal elements are generally seen as favorable elements.
At this point, it is important to note that bazi astrology analysis might come up with a different conclusion.
Earth and metal sectors of the home are at the northeast, southwest, west and northwest. So homeowners who wish to enhance their personal energy can tap on the energy source at these directional sectors of the house.
Personal grand duke
The personal grand duke (tai sui) of a person can be determined by the zodiac of the year in which the person was born.
And because there is an identifiable pattern observable from how gua numbers are assigned to people, a person’s gender and gua can indicate the zodiac. And thus, the personal grand duke.
The following table shows the grand duke direction of those with gua 3.
Male Gua 3
| Year | Grand Duke Direction |
Clash Direction |
| 1916,1952,1988,2024 | SE1 | NW1 |
| 1925,1961,1997 | NE1 | SW1 |
| 1934,1970,2006 | NW1 | SE1 |
| 1943,1979,2015 | SW1 | NE1 |
Female Gua 3
| Year | Grand Duke Direction |
Clash Direction |
| 1916,1952,1988,2024 | SE1 | NW1 |
| 1925,1961,1997 | NE1 | SW1 |
| 1934,1970,2006 | NW1 | SE1 |
| 1943,1979,2015 | SW1 | NE1 |
Because the grand duke represents an overwhelmingly strong source of energy that can cause detrimental effects, it is not advisable to make it’s location a place for sleep and resting. It also shouldn’t be a place that is disturbed often.
The opposite direction of the grand duke also suffers a detrimental clash.
As such, residents of gua 3 are often advised by feng shui masters not to have any afflictions on these 2 personal directions.
When afflictions are present, remedies must be put in place or that the space in question should be avoided altogether as a living space.