Feng shui  風水 风水 ふうすい

Feng shui
"Feng shui" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 風水
Simplified Chinese 风水
Literal meaning "wind-water"
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Vietnamese name
Vietnamese phong thủy
Thai name
Thai ฮวงจุ้ย (Huang Jui)
Korean name
Hangul 풍수
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Japanese name
Kanji 風水
Hiragana ふうすい
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Filipino name
Tagalog Pungsóy, Punsóy
Khmer name
Khmer ហុងស៊ុយ (hongsaouy)
[show]Part of a series of articles on the paranormal

Feng shui (pronounced [fə́ŋ.ʂwèi] , also known as geomancy, is a pseudoscience originating from China, which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment.[1] It is closely linked to Taoism. The term feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English. This is a cultural shorthand taken from the passage of the now-lost Classic of Burial recorded in Guo Pu's commentary:[2] Feng shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy (observation of appearances through formulas and calculations). The feng shui practice discusses architecture in terms of "invisible forces" that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi.

Historically, feng shui was widely used to orient buildings-often spiritually significant structures such as tombs, but also dwellings and other structures-in an auspicious manner. Depending on the particular style of feng shui being used, an auspicious site could be determined by reference to local features such as bodies of water, stars, or a compass.