Lo Shu Square: Nine Numbers and Flying Sequence
The Lo Shu magic square has five at its centre; every row, column and diagonal sums to fifteen. The nine-palace flight follows a fixed sequence through its positions.
South at the top · Centre 5
South-east4
South9
South-west2
East3
Centre5
West7
North-east8
North1
North-west6
Read the square with south at top
The top row is 4–9–2, middle 3–5–7 and bottom 8–1–6. South is at the top of this traditional orientation, so East is on the left.
Move the centre
Changing the centre number while keeping the flight order produces another nine-palace arrangement. Annual Flying Stars uses this operation with the year’s centre number.