HSK 6 · Article · 629 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-feng-shui

风水是什么？

What is feng shui?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

丁浩搬进bānjìn新xīn家jiā的de第一dìyī个gè周末zhōumò，妈妈māma就jiù来lái看kàn他tā了le。她tā一yí进门jìnmén，没méi去qù看kàn厨房chúfáng，也yě没méi问wèn房租fángzū，而是érshì直奔zhíbēn卧室wòshì，站zhàn在zài门口ménkǒu，皱zhòu着zhe眉头méitóu说shuō：“床chuáng怎么zěnme能néng正zhèng对duì着zhe门mén呢ne？还有háiyǒu，床chuáng对面duìmiàn也yě不能bùnéng放fàng镜子jìngzi。”丁浩笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“妈mā，这zhè都dōu什么shénme年代niándài了le，您nín还hái讲究jiǎngjiu风水fēngshuǐ？”

“风水fēngshuǐ”这zhè两liǎng个gè字zì，字面zìmiàn意思yìsi很hěn简单jiǎndān：刮风guāfēng的de风fēng，流水liúshuǐ的de水shuǐ。古人gǔrén认为rènwéi，天地tiāndì之间zhījiān有yǒu一种yìzhǒng看不见kànbujiàn的de“气qì”，遇到yùdào风fēng会huì散开sànkāi，遇到yùdào水shuǐ才cái会huì停tíng下来xiàlai，所以suóyǐ人们rénmen把bǎ这zhè门mén学问xuéwen叫做jiàozuò“风水fēngshuǐ”。最zuì早zǎo，它tā主要zhǔyào用来yònglái给gěi祖先zǔxiān选xuǎn墓地mùdì，给gěi村子cūnzi和hé房子fángzi选xuǎn位置wèizhì。理想líxiǎng的de地方dìfang，后面hòumiàn靠kào着zhe山shān，前面qiánmiàn有yǒu水shuǐ，房子fángzi坐zuò北běi朝南cháonán。

这些zhèxiē讲究jiǎngjiu，有yǒu不少bùshǎo是shì有yǒu生活shēnghuó道理dàoli的de。在zài中国zhōngguó北方běifāng，房子fángzi朝南cháonán，冬天dōngtiān能néng晒shài到dào更gèng多duō的de太阳tàiyáng；后面hòumiàn的de山shān，又yòu能néng遮挡zhēdǎng从cóng北边běibian吹chuī来lái的de寒风hánfēng。北京běijīng的de四合院sìhéyuàn坐zuò北běi朝南cháonán，故宫gùgōng的de大殿dàdiàn也yě都dōu面朝miàncháo南方nánfāng。

到dào了le今天jīntiān，大多数dàduōshù人rén不会búhuì再zài去qù研究yánjiū复杂fùzá的de理论lǐlùn，可是kěshì一些yìxiē小xiǎo规矩guīju，至今zhìjīn还hái延续yánxù在zài很hěn多duō家庭jiātíng里：床chuáng不要búyào正zhèng对duì着zhe门mén，床chuáng对面duìmiàn不要búyào放fàng镜子jìngzi，自家zìjiā的de大门dàmén最好zuìhǎo不要búyào对duì着zhe邻居línjū家jiā的de大门dàmén。有些yǒuxiē人rén买mǎi房子fángzi以前yǐqián，甚至shènzhì会huì专门zhuānmén请qǐng一yí位wèi风水fēngshuǐ先生xiānsheng，拿ná着zhe罗盘luópán把bǎ每个měigè房间fángjiān都dōu看kàn一遍yíbiàn。

为什么wèishénme床chuáng不能bùnéng对duì着zhe门mén？民间mínjiān有yǒu一种yìzhǒng说法shuōfǎ：过去guòqù，只有zhíyǒu去世qùshì的de人rén，才cái会huì脚jiǎo朝着cháozhe门mén躺tǎng着zhe。也yě有人yǒurén说shuō，这样zhèyàng睡觉shuìjiào没有méiyǒu安全感ānquángǎn，门外ménwài有yǒu一点儿yìdiǎnr动静dòngjing都dōu听tīng得de清清楚楚qīngqīng-chúchǔ。床chuáng对面duìmiàn放fàng镜子jìngzi也yě是shì一样yíyàng，半夜bànyè醒来xǐnglái，迷迷糊糊mímí-hūhū地de看见kànjiàn镜子jìngzi里有yǒu个gè人影rényǐng，难免nánmiǎn会huì吓一跳xiàyítiào。

对于duìyú风水fēngshuǐ，中国zhōngguó人rén的de看法kànfǎ各不相同gèbù-xiāngtóng。有人yǒurén深信不疑shēnxìn-bùyí，有人yǒurén觉得juéde它tā就是jiùshì迷信míxìn，更gèng多duō的de人rén则zé是shì半信半疑bànxìn-bànyí，按照ànzhào老lǎo规矩guīju摆放bǎifàng家具jiājù，只是zhǐshì图tú个gè吉利jílì，让ràng自己zìjǐ安心ānxīn一点儿yìdiǎnr。

丁浩虽然suīrán说shuō无所谓wúsuǒwèi，可kě还是háishi拗不过niùbuguò妈妈māma，最后zuìhòu把bǎ床chuáng挪nuó到dào了le另lìng一yí面miàn墙qiáng边biān。奇怪qíguài的de是shì，那nà个gè星期xīngqī，他tā每天měitiān都dōu睡shuì得de特别tèbié好hǎo。妈妈māma打电话dǎdiànhuà来lái，得意déyì地de说shuō：“你nǐ看kàn，风水fēngshuǐ还是háishi有用yǒuyòng的de吧ba？”丁浩看kàn了le看kàn那nà扇shàn朝cháo东dōng的de窗户chuānghu，没有méiyǒu说话shuōhuà。以前yǐqián，床chuáng就jiù在zài窗户chuānghu底下dǐxia，每天měitiān早上zǎoshang五wǔ点diǎn多duō，太阳tàiyáng一yì出来chūlái就jiù把bǎ他tā晒shài醒xǐng了le。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
卧室	wòshì	bedroom
年代	niándài	age; era; years
讲究	jiǎngjiu	careful consideration; rule
位置	wèizhì	position; place; location
道理	dàoli	reason; sense
晒	shài	to dry in the sun; to bask
理论	lǐlùn	theory
至今	zhìjīn	to this day; so far; until now
去世	qùshì	to pass away; to die
半夜	bànyè	midnight; the middle of the night
墙	qiáng	wall
扇	shàn	fan

English (for the teacher)

On Ding Hao's first weekend in his new flat, his mother came to see him. The moment she came in, she didn't look at the kitchen and didn't ask about the rent; instead she headed straight for the bedroom, stood in the doorway, frowned and said: “How can the bed face the door? And you can't put a mirror across from the bed either.” Ding Hao laughed: “Mum, what century is this? You still go in for feng shui?”

Literally, the two characters of “feng shui” are simple: the feng of a blowing wind, the shui of flowing water. People of old believed that between heaven and earth there is an invisible “qi”, which scatters when it meets wind and only stops when it meets water, so they called this body of knowledge “feng shui”. At first it was mainly used to choose burial sites for ancestors, and places for villages and houses. The ideal spot had a hill behind it and water in front, with the house sitting in the north and facing south.

Quite a few of these rules make sense in everyday life. In northern China, a house that faces south gets more sun in winter, and a hill behind it blocks the cold wind blowing in from the north. Beijing's courtyard houses sit in the north and face south, and the great halls of the Forbidden City all face south as well.

Today most people no longer study the complicated theory, but some small rules still carry on in many homes to this day: the bed shouldn't face the door, there shouldn't be a mirror across from the bed, and your front door had better not face your neighbour's front door. Some people, before buying a flat, even hire a feng shui master to go through every room with a luopan compass.

Why can't the bed face the door? One folk explanation goes: in the old days, only the dead were laid with their feet toward the door. Others say that sleeping like this doesn't feel safe, because you can hear every little sound outside the door. A mirror across from the bed is the same: wake up in the middle of the night, half asleep, see a figure in the mirror, and you're bound to get a fright.

Chinese people's views on feng shui differ. Some believe in it without a doubt, some think it's just superstition, and even more are half convinced: they arrange the furniture by the old rules simply for luck, to put their minds a little more at ease.

Ding Hao said he didn't care, but he couldn't talk his mother out of it, and in the end he moved the bed to the other wall. Strangely, he slept especially well every night that week. His mother phoned and said, pleased with herself: “See, feng shui works after all, doesn't it?” Ding Hao looked at the window that faced east and said nothing. The bed used to be right under the window, and every morning just after five, the moment the sun came up, it woke him.