Three, fearing the excessive passage of the compliant terrain.

順逆二字，乃地理開卷第一義也，此二字不明，總是說夢也。發明順砂或逆砂二路，如盲如聾一也，自非有灼然之見者，鮮不可以順為逆，又以逆為順者，牧堂必有感慨，得為斯言也。

"The terms 'shun' and 'ni' are the first essential principles in the study of geography; without understanding these two words, anything said is like talking in dreams. 'Shun' and 'ni' refer to the comparison between the direction of terrain features (sand) and the flow of water. To distinguish between 'shun sand' and 'ni sand' is a matter that most people are like both deaf and blind to; unless one has a clear and thorough understanding, few will not confuse 'shun' with 'ni' and 'ni' with 'shun'. The venerable Master Mute of the past must have felt deep sorrow, hence he could express such words."

但今之俗師看地，有四五十年而懵然不知順逆者，竟與聾盲何別。不知地理之順逆，專以水之來去為主。如右水倒左，凡在左邊有高山，柳圳塋林木下，至田畿級，凡一級高一級，皆謂之下砂，謂之進神，愈出愈長而福愈盛，若上有此砂，不論長短，謂之順砂，謂之退神。

But nowadays, some common geomancers who have studied for forty or fifty years still remain confused about the concepts of favorable and unfavorable directions, making no distinction between them. They do not understand the principles of geomancy, and instead rely solely on the direction of water. For example, if the water flows from the right to the left, then all high mountains, willow embankments, ditches, tombs, forests, and even fields that rise gradually from left to right are called "xia sha" (downward sand), also known as "jin shen" (advancing god). The longer this sand extends, the greater the blessings. Conversely, if such sand is located on the upper side, that is, on the side where the water comes from, regardless of its length, it is called "shun sha" (favorable sand), also known as "tui shen" (retreating god). "Xia sha" is on the side where the water flows away, and it gathers against the current, hence it is called advancing. "Shun sha" is on the side where the water comes, and it follows the current, thus sending away the life qi, hence it is called retreating.

躥而過者，尤至毒害，萬頃田莊，無不立盡。古云：於來去之水論，得甚，亦以其關係甚大也。故曰：天門欲其開，地門欲其閉。又曰：所喜者，三門寬闊，所求者，五戶閉藏。

If the flowing water continues past the Bright Hall and blocks the front, the harm is especially severe, and no vast fields or farms can remain intact. Ancients said: When discussing water, the emphasis is placed particularly on the concepts of coming and going, because its importance is great. Therefore, it is said: "The heavenly gate should be open, the earthly gate should be closed" — the direction from which the water comes is called the heavenly gate, which should be open and unobstructed; the direction from which the water goes is called the earthly gate, which should be closed and restricted. It is also said: "What is preferred is the wide opening of the three gates, and what is required is the concealment of the five households," which means the same thing: the path for incoming energy should be wide, and the outlet should be restricted.

又曰：水來自左，無左亦可，水來自右，無右亦就。又曰：剪下砂莫剪上砂，剪進神莫剪退神。皆為此也。蓋水之性情，水來這邊，定是逼窄，山高田高；水去這邊，定是闊曠，山低田低，倘能拘轉山川情性，使水來這邊一里寬一里，水去這邊，一里緊一里，則頗有神情之砂，其於地理過半矣。

It is also said: "Water coming from the left side, even if there is no sand on the left side, it is not a problem; water coming from the right side, even if there is no sand on the right side, it is acceptable." It is also said: "One should take the lower sand, not the upper sand; one should take the advancing god, not the retreating god." ——"Cutting" refers to trimming or following closely. Which side's sand is taken to establish the site determines whether the land is advancing or retreating. All of this speaks to the same point. Because water has its nature: the side from which the water comes must necessarily be narrow, with high mountains and high fields; the side from which the water goes must necessarily be open and spacious, with low mountains and low fields. If one can reverse the nature of the mountains and rivers, making the side from which the water comes wider by one li for every li, and the side from which the water goes narrower by one li for every li, then that would be a very refined sand. ——This kind of opening and closing allows the incoming energy to enter and the outgoing energy to be retained, and thus one understands half of the principles of geography.

古人曰：兩水夾一案，定作退田斷。又曰：退官退筆，尖尖從此出；進官進田筆，彎彎兜水入。又曰：東宮過西宮長房敗絕，右邊尖射左臂，少子貧寒。皆言順砂過堂之水禍慘也。

Ancient people said: "When two streams of water are flanked by a single case mountain, it certainly leads to loss of land and property." They also said: "The strokes indicating loss of official position and loss of land come from sharp, straight ridges; whereas the strokes indicating gain of official position and gain of land are formed by winding ridges that enclose the incoming water." They also said: "If ridges leap from the eastern palace to the western palace, the eldest son will be ruined; if there is a sharp ridge on the right pointing toward the left arm, the youngest son will be poor and destitute." All these are talking about how disastrous it is when the ridges cross over the water in the bright hall. Sharp and straight ridges indicate retreat, while winding and enclosing ridges indicate advancement; this can be clearly discerned at a glance.

夫既順砂難堪矣。況過堂二字，稍有知者，此而不畏？嗚呼！畏哉！若夫逆局逆龍，則上案上手砂不妨。蓋山逆水逆，則力量大。若順砂順水則能發福耶，此又不可拘於順砂順水之論也。

Simple compliance with the sand (mountains) is already difficult to bear, let alone the addition of the term "over the hall" (over the ridge). How could a person with some knowledge not feel fear here? It is pitiful indeed, truly terrifying! However, there are exceptions: if it is an inverse situation, an inverse dragon, meaning the dragon body and water flow are moving against each other, then having a case mountain and sand hand on the upper side is not a problem, because when the mountains and water are both inverse, their power becomes stronger. If the sand and water are in the same direction, can they still bring blessings? This shows that the idea that "all favorable sand and water are bad" should not be taken as a rigid rule; one must look at whether the dragon and water as a whole are in harmony or in opposition.