Substance and Function of Dragon and Tiger: Auspicious and Inauspicious Spirit Positions, and Reverse and Direct Water

青龍為吉神，宜起庫而蜿蜒；白虎為凶神，宜俯伏而馴俯。無龍，要水遶左邊；無虎，要水居右畔。先到後到，灣環抱穴，遮蔽八風，勿令吹散，生氣始佳。

The Azure Dragon side belongs to an auspicious spirit, and should rise like a storehouse, winding with feeling; the White Tiger side belongs to an inauspicious spirit, and should bow, lie low, and submit. If there is no dragon sand on the left, there must be water circling the left to take its place; if there is no tiger sand on the right, there must be water occupying the right side to make it up. Whether the two sands arrive first or later, so long as they curve and embrace the site, screening the incoming wind of all four directions and eight sides, not letting it blow the qi away, the “generating qi” in the point then counts as fine.

自本身生出圓淨，逆水插上者力重，順水弓抱者力輕。逆水不忌雄強，順水最嫌弱軟。

Protecting sands are best when they branch from the mountain body of the site itself, their form round, full, and clean. Sand that inserts upward against the direction of the current can bar water and gather qi, and its strength is heavy; sand that curves and embraces downward with the current has light strength. Therefore reverse-water sand need not fear being mighty and strong; direct-water sand most fears being weak and without force.

十吉格曰：降伏、比和、遜讓、排衙、帶印、帶笏、帶劍、帶牙刀、交會、開睜是也。

The ten auspicious configurations of dragon and tiger sands are: “Subduing,” White Tiger lowering its head and obeying; “Matching in Harmony,” the two sands equal in height and length; “Yielding,” each yielding and not contending; “Arraying the Yamen,” arrayed in layers like the ceremonial ranks before a yamen; “Carrying a Seal,” a round mound on the sand like an official seal; “Carrying a Tablet,” a square long stone like a court tablet; “Carrying a Sword,” a straight long sand like a worn sword; “Carrying a Tooth-Knife,” a curved sharp sand like a knife; “Meeting and Joining,” the two sands crossing and locking the water-mouth; “Opening the Eyes,” the two arms opening and facing the point with feeling.

十凶格曰：相鬥、相吞、相射、飛走、推車、折臂、反背、短縮、順攛、交路是也。

The ten inauspicious configurations of dragon and tiger sands are: “Fighting,” the two sands contending and colliding; “Swallowing,” one sand oppressing and swallowing the other; “Shooting,” sharp heads shooting at each other; “Flying Away,” the two sands fleeing outward and not regarding the site; “Pushing a Cart,” the two sands going straight out like the shafts of a cart; “Broken Arm,” the sand-body broken in the middle like an arm snapped; “Turning the Back,” the sand-face turning away from the site; “Short and Shrunk,” the sand-body too short to protect the point; “Direct Rushing,” rushing straight away with the water’s force; “Crossing Roads,” the sand cut and broken by crossing roads.

更有高壓、強硬、擺面、斷腰、嘟尸、嫉主、破碎、巉巖、粗惡、生石、瘦弱、露筋、插落、投河、內抱、員墩、腋下夾尖砂者，皆忌之，虎手尤可畏。

Beyond these there are still various taboo forms: the sand-body pressing high over the site; the bodily force hard and without feeling; the face swung sideways and not facing the point; the waist broken in the middle; bloated like a laid-out corpse; pressing and threatening, oppressing the host; the form shattered; the mountain stones jagged; the substance coarse and evil; stones growing all over the body; thin and weak without flesh; sinews and bones exposed; inserting slantwise and dropping straight; the sand-foot plunging into water; embracing inward too much and pressing the site narrow; a round mound born across before the point; and a sharp sand coming out from under the armpit of dragon or tiger. All these are in the list of taboos, and those that appear on the White Tiger hand are especially to be feared.