Wu Xing
the Five States of Change
Whereas Western thought developed the idea of elements as subtsances, and Indian thought as emenations, Chinese philosophy conceived of the five elements, or Wu Xing, as dynamic states of change.
The concept of Wu Xing is central to all elements of Chinese thought, including science, philosophy, medicine, astrology, andFengshui.
Although the term is generally translated as "five elements", this is incorrect. The word Wu does indeed mean "five". But there is no simple translation for Xing. Translations such as "five elements", "five agents", "five qualities", "five properties" "five states of change", "five courses", "five phases" and "five elementals", are all used. As Master Joseph Yu explains
"Wu Xing" is actually the short form of "Wu zhong liu xing zhi chi" or "the five types of chi dominating at different times". Water dominates in winter, wood in spring, fire in summer, metal in autumn. At the intersection between two seasons, the transitional period is dominated by earth. It is customary in Chinese writing to summarize a longer phrase into a couple of characters. Sometimes the meaning is completely lost in the abbreviated form if the original phrase is not referred to. Wu Xing is one such example.
and
The names "water", "wood", "fire", "metal" and "earth" are only substances whose properties resemble the respective chi in the closest possible way. They do help us understand the properties of the five types of chi but they also mislead us if we take everything in the literal sense.
The following table gives but a few of the many correspondences associated with Wu Xing.
Wu Xing
number and polarity
Colour
Season
weather
Direction
yin and yang organs
emotion
taste
shape
movement
quality
Earth
5/10 - Tao
yellow, brown
late summer
humid
center
Spleen and Stomach
meditation
sweet
cubic
attracts and concentrates
stable
Metal
4/9 - senior yang
white, Golden, Silver
autumn
dry
west
Lungs and Large Intestine
worry, sorrow
pungant
Spherical
pierce inwards
sharp and pointing.
Wood
3/8- junior yin
green or blue
spring
windy
east
Liver and Gall Bladder
anger
sour
Rod like or beam like
grows upwards
enduring
Fire
2/7 - junior yang
red, Orange, Purple, Pink
summer
hot
south
Heart and Small Intestine
joy
bitter
Triangular
spreads in all directions,
radiant and hot
Water
1/6 senior yin
black, dark blue
winter
cold
north
Kidney and Bladder
fear
salty
wavy
runs downwards
liberal
Note that qualities such as winter, cold and north only apply to the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere winter and cold would be associated with the south (antarctic)
Because these five qualities are dynamic, they interact in various ways. There are three cycles in traditional Chines ethought:
cycle
relationship with wood on top
relationship represented clockwise
description
The Creative or Producing or Enhancing cycle
Moving clockwise from the top: Water produces wood. When a tree is watered, it grows better. When wood burns, we get fire. Fire reduces things to ashes which becomes part of the earth. Earth is mined for metal, which then changes to liquid (water) under heat. Finally, water provides nourishment for trees to grow, producing wood
The Weakening Cycle
e.g. Wood is burned by fire and hence weakened (reduced to ashes)
Destroying or Controlling Cycle
e.g., a metal knife can cut wood and shape or control it