五行 · Wu Xing
The Five Elements — 五行
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — the five phases of qi, how they feed and restrain one another, and the colours and directions that balance them.
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In brief
Wu Xing, the Five Elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, are the engine of Chinese metaphysics. Each generates the next and controls another, and this cycle of generating and controlling underlies BaZi, feng shui, medicine and remedies.
Frequently asked
What is the generating cycle?
Wood feeds Fire, Fire forms Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water, and Water nourishes Wood. Each element strengthens the next, the basis of using a parent element to support a weak one.
What is the controlling cycle?
Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood. This is how one element disciplines another, used to balance an excess.
How are the elements used in remedies?
To strengthen an element, add its parent or itself; to drain an excess, add what it generates or what controls it, expressed through colours, shapes, materials and directions.
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