fengshui

Noun

feng shui (uncountable)

1. (Chinese) A system of spiritual energies, both good and evil, present in the natural features of landscapes.
   • On my telling two missionaries here lately that this Government would not allow a road to be made to their coal mines because it would obstruct the Feng-shui, they only laughed at it. [...] The upper classes may have Feng-shui, and use it when it suits them, as the Government do; but they also...1869 March 15, “Summary of news from the Far East. China. Tientsin.”, in The London and China Telegraph, Japan Herald, and Journal of the Eastern Archipelago, French mail edition, volume XI, number...

   Synonyms:

   Chinese geomancy, fung shui

2. (broadly) An ancient Chinese system of geomancy used to design buildings and graves, and to determine the spatial arrangement of things, according to rules about the flow of energy, aimed at achieving harmony with the environment, promoting good fortune and wealth, etc.
   • Feng-Shui has long been the puzzle of European residents in China. It is the principle which is given as a reason for every opposition to modern improvements, and which commands the devotions of the Chinese to such an extent that they will commit murder to avenge its neglect. [...] This Feng-Shui...1875 March, “Art VI.—1. The Works of Confucius, Containing the Original Text with a Translation. By J[oshua] Marshman. Serampore. 1809. [...]”, in Edward I[sidore] Sears, editor, The National...
3. (colloquial) The state of having a space in a particular order, though not necessarily in accordance with any actual principles of the Chinese system of geomancy.

See all 4 meanings of feng shui