# Contours (等高线)

> Contour lines join points of equal elevation on a terrain map. The closer the lines, the steeper the slope; the wider apart, the flatter the land. Water always runs at right angles to the contours, from high to low.

- Vietnamese: Đường đồng mức
- English: Contours
- Chinese: 等高线
- Chinese characters: 等高线
- Also called: Contour lines · Đường đồng mức · Isolines of elevation

## Explanation

In feng shui, contour lines reveal landform the eye misses: ridges where dragon veins run, valleys where water gathers, ground that embraces a site or falls away from it.

They are the main tool for the middle scale — the terrain within a few kilometres of the home.

## How Home Check uses it

Home Check draws contour lines automatically on the map around the site, with an interval suited to the terrain; you can also outline an area to draw it in detail. — [Compass & site reading](https://myhomecheck.ai/compass)

## Related terms

- [Middle scale](https://myhomecheck.ai/learn/glossary/middle-scale): The middle scale is the intermediate range in reading landform and water: the rise and fall of the land within a few kilometres of the site.
- [Dragon veins](https://myhomecheck.ai/learn/glossary/dragon-veins): Dragon veins are lines that carry energy along ridges of higher ground — mountains, hills, mounds — like the veins of the earth.
- [Dragon Entry](https://myhomecheck.ai/learn/glossary/dragon-entry): Dragon Entry is the last stretch of a dragon vein — a line of higher ground that carries energy — before it enters a site or house.

## Questions

### What is a contour interval?

The height difference between two neighbouring contour lines, such as 1 m or 5 m; flatter land needs a smaller interval.

### Do contour lines show where water flows?

Yes. Water follows the steepest slope, at right angles to the contours, toward lower ground.

---  
Original page: https://myhomecheck.ai/learn/glossary/contour-lines  
Other languages: [Tiếng Việt](https://myhomecheck.ai/vi/tri-thuc/thuat-ngu/duong-dong-muc/index.md) · [中文](https://myhomecheck.ai/zh/learn/glossary/contour-lines/index.md)  
Updated: 2026-10-21