Explanation of the Five Elements in Taoism

The relationship of mutual generation and restraint among the five elements forms a dynamic equilibrium. There are strict relationships of generation and restraint among the five elements: water nourishes wood, wood nourishes fire, fire nourishes earth, earth nourishes metal, and metal nourishes water; water restrains fire, fire restrains metal, metal restrains wood, wood restrains earth, and earth restrains water. This interplay of generation and restraint among the five elements constitutes another dynamic balance.

 

The mutual generation and restraint among the five elements:

The characteristics of the five elements:

What are the characteristics of the five elements?

Characteristics of Wood: Rising from the east with the sun, similar to wood. When trees grow, their branches extend upward and outward, symbolizing growth, ascension, and expansion, all of which belong to the wood element.

Characteristics of Fire: Heat akin to the south. Fire possesses warmth and upward movement, symbolizing warmth, ascension, and related phenomena, all belonging to the fire element.

Characteristics of Earth: Fertility akin to the central plains. The earth is the mother of all things, symbolizing nourishment, support, and reception, all belonging to the earth element.

Characteristics of Metal: Setting in the west with the setting sun, akin to metal. Ancients referred to metal as undergoing change ("金曰从革", literally "Metal follows change"). This implies cleanliness, refinement, and contraction, all belonging to the metal element.

Characteristics of Water: Coldness akin to the north. Water has moisturizing and downward-moving characteristics, symbolizing coldness, moisture, and descent, all belonging to the water element.

Dialectical relationships among the five elements:

Metal restrains wood, as wood is sturdy but lacks metal; wood restrains earth, as earth's weight can bend and break wood; earth restrains water, as excessive water can erode earth; water restrains fire, as excessive fire can evaporate water; fire restrains metal, as excess metal can be melted by fire.

Metal generates water, as excess water can cause metal to sink; water generates wood, as wood can absorb water; wood generates fire, as fire can be fueled by wood; fire generates earth, as earth can be heated by fire; earth generates metal, as metal can be extracted from the earth.

Metal relies on earth for generation, but too much earth can bury metal; earth relies on fire for generation, but too much fire can scorch earth; fire relies on wood for generation, but too much wood can fuel fire excessively; wood relies on water for generation, but too much water can float wood; water relies on metal for generation, but too much metal can make water turbid.

Weak metal melts in the presence of fire; weak fire is extinguished by water; weak water is blocked by earth; weak earth collapses under wood; weak wood is cut by metal.

Strong metal is blunted by water; strong water is moderated by wood; strong wood is weakened by fire; strong fire is contained by earth; strong earth is transformed by metal.

 

Correspondence of the five elements with seasons:

All things can be classified into the five elements, with the seasons corresponding as follows:

Spring belongs to wood. During spring, everything on earth sprouts and grows. Grass turns green, branches stretch out, and gases expand outward, akin to the characteristics of wood.

Summer belongs to fire. The weather is hot, and everything flourishes. Everything grows upward, and gases evaporate upward, similar to the characteristics of fire.

At the transition from summer to autumn, the weather is hot and humid, fruits hang from branches, and gases move steadily, akin to the characteristics of earth.

Autumn belongs to metal. Autumn winds blow, and everything withers. It's a time for harvesting and storing for winter, with gases contracting inward, akin to the characteristics of metal.

Winter belongs to water. The air is bitterly cold, and everything is frozen. All creatures hibernate and rest, with gases sinking downward, akin to the characteristics of water.

Correspondence of the five elements with directions:

The directions corresponding to the five elements are east, west, south, north, and center. They are combined with the heavenly stems and earthly branches as follows:

The east corresponds to the wood of the first and second heavenly stems, the south to the fire of the third and fourth heavenly stems, the west to the metal of the seventh and eighth heavenly stems, the north to the water of the eleventh and twelfth heavenly stems, and the center to the earth of the fifth and sixth heavenly stems.

The orientation of the five elements is crucial in Feng Shui. Through the calculation of an individual's fate according to the principles of the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, one can determine which direction is most advantageous for them.

Correspondence of the five elements with the human body:

The theory of the five elements posits that the world is composed of five substances, each with its own characteristics. Traditional Chinese medicine describes the human body's organ systems using the five elements. The specific correspondences are as follows:

 

Correspondence of the five elements with colors:

How do the five elements correspond to colors?

Colors associated with the Metal element: White, Gold, Silver.

Colors associated with the Water element: Black, Blue, Gray.

Colors associated with the Wood element: Green, Cyan, Jade.

Colors associated with the Fire element: Red, Purple.

Colors associated with the Earth element: Yellow, Brown, Tan, Chestnut.

Correspondence of the five elements with the twelve Chinese zodiac animals:

The correspondence between the five elements and the Chinese zodiac is essentially a relationship between the five elements and the heavenly stems and earthly branches, which represent time. For example:

Years such as those in the Year of the Rat, which are characterized by the heavenly stem "甲" (Jia), correspond to the Water element.

 

• Items Representing the Five Elements:

All things in the world possess their respective attributes of the five elements. Understanding their individual attributes allows for the adjustment of the balance of the five elements.

Metal: All metal tools and sharp objects embody the properties of metal. Animals representing the metal element include monkeys and chickens.

Wood: Items such as wooden furniture, cabinets, floors, doors, beds, and books belong to wood. Vacuum cleaners, new shoes, flowers, and trees symbolize vigorous wood; wilted flowers and trees, old unworn shoes, disputes, and lawsuits represent declining wood.

Water: Bathrooms and fish tanks belong to water. If there are incidents of water leakage in bathrooms or air conditioners, it indicates an excessive presence of water.

Fire: Attributes of fire include stoves, housewives, peach blossoms, lighting, and chargers. People who are sensitive to fire prefer white lighting, while those lacking fire prefer yellow lighting.

Earth: Items such as miscellaneous objects and ceramics belong to earth. Miscellaneous objects are considered unfavorable in Feng Shui and should be stored in cabinets to minimize their negative impact.

Changes in the Strength of the Five Elements in the Four Seasons:

All things in the world are related to the five elements, but the energies of Feng Shui are not constant; they fluctuate between strong and weak, termed as "prosperity, harmony, rest, imprisonment, and death" in Feng Shui.

Prosperity: The strongest period within a season.

Harmony: Assistance. Objects thriving under the attributes of the prosperous element are in a state of harmony. For example, during spring when wood thrives, fire is in harmony.

Rest: Resting. The element least compatible with the prosperous one is in a state of rest. For example, during spring when water nourishes wood, water is in a state of rest.

Imprisonment: Decline. The element most effectively restrained by the prosperous one is in a state of imprisonment. For example, during spring when metal restrains wood, metal is in a state of imprisonment.

Death: Suppression. Objects most effectively restrained by the prosperous element are in a state of death. Because wood restrains earth, during spring, earth is in a state of death.

According to this pattern, we can understand:

Spring: Wood prospers, fire harmonizes, water rests, metal is imprisoned, earth dies;

Summer: Fire prospers, earth harmonizes, wood rests, water is imprisoned, metal dies;

Autumn: Metal prospers, water harmonizes, earth rests, fire is imprisoned, wood dies;

Winter: Water prospers, wood harmonizes, metal rests, earth is imprisoned, fire dies;

Four Seasons: Earth prospers, metal harmonizes, fire rests, wood is imprisoned, water dies. (In Feng Shui, the year is divided into four seasons, each governing three months. When considering the correspondence with the five elements, the first two months of each season belong to that season, while the last month is categorized as "Four Seasons". The so-called "Fifth Season" is, in fact, the last month of each of the four seasons.)

The Five Directions:

In Feng Shui, the five directions - east, southeast, west, north, and central - each have their own characteristics:

East, where the sun rises, is warm;

South, where the sun shines, is hot;

West, characterized by fewer people and more rocks, is desolate;

North, covered in ice and snow, is cold;

Central, nurturing all things, is beneficial in all directions.

In Feng Shui, the five elements are matched with the five directions according to their properties: wood corresponds to the east, fire to the south, metal to the west, water to the north, and earth to the center. People with different elemental attributes can benefit from living in the corresponding direction, otherwise, it may be detrimental.

 

The Relationship between the Five Elements and the Five Directions:

When dividing directions based on the five elements, the central direction corresponds to earth, with the color being yellow, which has a significant influence on the ruling class in later generations.

Family Relations and the Four Seasons:

Each attribute of the five elements has a restraining relationship, which Feng Shui compares to interpersonal relationships - the "six relatives." Assuming an object as "me," then according to the attributes of the five elements, those that nourish me are considered parents; those I nourish are considered offspring; those that restrain me are considered officials and ghosts; those I restrain are considered spouse and wealth; those similar to me are considered siblings.

The "four seasons" in Feng Shui refer to the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each season has its own characteristics, affecting all things differently, thus causing fluctuations in the strength of the five-element energies:

Spring brings warming temperatures, prompting the revival of all things;

Summer brings hot weather, leading to continuous growth of all things;

Autumn sees a gradual cooling, entering the season of maturity;

Winter brings cold weather and freezing conditions, causing all things to hibernate and accumulate energy for growth in the following year.

Therefore, only by understanding the trends of fluctuating strengths of the five elements can Feng Shui be adjusted with changing times.