back without cease.

8. (According to natural) law, at every bend (of a

river) water pools before it flows on.

9. It drifts gently, doubling back to us on the point of

remaining.

10. Its ingress is without a source; its egress is without

an exit.

11. The Classic says: Where mountains advance and

waters encircle, there is nobility, longevity and
wealth.

12. Where mountains imprison and waters flow

(straight), the king is enslaved and the prince is
destroyed.

The Miscellaneous Chapters

IX. Reading Terrain

A. Contour Shapes

1. On the art of divining mountains, the reading of

contours is the most difficult; features are next in
difficulty; and direction is the least difficult.

2. Burial in terrain resembling ten thousand horses

descending from Heaven will engender kings.

3. Terrain resembling colossal waves, corrugations of

cliffs and furrows of ranges, will produce princes
and dukes of a thousand chariots.

4. Terrain resembling a descending dragon,1[9]

encircled by water, attended by clouds, generates
the rank and emolument of the Three Grand
Ministers.

5. Terrain resembling a palatial mansion with luxuriant

vegetation and towering trees will engender the