1. Seasonal Correspondences:
Wood (木): Spring
Fire (火): Summer
Earth (土): The transitional periods between seasons (late summer)
Metal (金): Autumn
Water (水): Winter
2. Directional Correspondences:
Wood (木): East
Fire (火): South
Earth (土): Center
Metal (金): West
Water (水): North
3. Color Correspondences:
Wood (木): Green/Blue
Fire (火): Red
Earth (土): Brown/Yellow
Metal (金): White
Water (水): Black
4. Organ Correspondences (Traditional Chinese Medicine):
Wood (木): Liver
Fire (火): Heart
Earth (土): Spleen
Metal (金): Lungs
Water (水): Kidneys
Generating (Sheng) Cycle Rhyme:
"Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water—
Generation cycles without end.
Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth,
Earth bears Metal, Metal holds Water,
Water nourishes Wood again."
Generating Cycle (Sheng):
Wood → Fire (Wood fuels Fire)
Fire → Earth (Fire turns to ash, forming Earth)
Earth → Metal (Earth contains and produces Metal)
Metal → Water (Metal condenses Water, like dew)
Water → Wood (Water nourishes Wood’s growth)
Explanation:
"Generates me" (Mother): The element that nourishes me.
"I generate" (Child): The element I nourish.
Example: For Metal (金), Earth (土) is its "mother," and Water (水) is its "child."
Restricting (Ke) Cycle Rhyme:
"Metal, Wood, Earth, Water, Fire—
Restriction cycles never tire.
Metal chops Wood, Wood breaks Earth,
Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire,
Fire melts Metal, completing the gyre."
Restricting Cycle (Ke):
Metal (金) → Wood (木) (Metal cuts Wood)
Wood (木) → Earth (土) (Wood roots break Earth)
Earth (土) → Water (水) (Earth dams Water)
Water (水) → Fire (火) (Water extinguishes Fire)
Fire (火) → Metal (金) (Fire melts Metal)
Explanation:
"Restricts me" (Overcoming force): The element that controls me.
"I restrict" (Subdued element): The element I control.
Example: For Water (水), Earth (土) restricts it, while Fire (火) is what it restricts.
Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches (五行对应天干地支):
Wood (木): Jia (甲), Yi (乙) (Heavenly Stems); Yin (寅), Mao (卯) (Earthly Branches) – East
Fire (火): Bing (丙), Ding (丁); Si (巳), Wu (午) – South
Earth (土): Wu (戊), Ji (己); Chen (辰), Xu (戌), Chou (丑), Wei (未) – Center
Metal (金): Geng (庚), Xin (辛); Shen (申), You (酉) – West
Water (水): Ren (壬), Gui (癸); Hai (亥), Zi (子) – North
Five Elements & Balancing (调候用神):
Summer’s scorching Fire needs Water’s cooling.
Winter’s freezing Water craves Fire’s warmth.
Spring’s thriving Wood benefits from Metal’s pruning.
Autumn’s harsh Metal seeks Wood’s softening.
Human Body & Emotions (人体脏腑):
Wood (Liver): Anger harms the liver.
Fire (Heart): Excessive joy harms the heart.
Earth (Spleen): Overthinking harms the spleen.
Metal (Lungs): Grief harms the lungs.
Water (Kidneys): Fear harms the kidneys.
Five Elements & Personality Traits:
1. Wood (木) – Benevolence (仁)
Nature: Straightforward, harmonious.
Taste: Sour.
Color: Green.
Appearance: Tall, graceful, fine hair, fair-green complexion.
Positive Traits: Kind, compassionate, generous, honest.
Negative Traits (Weak Wood): Thin, jealous, narrow-minded.
Extreme Deficiency: Crooked features, greedy, petty.
2. Fire (火) – Propriety (礼)
Nature: Energetic, respectful.
Taste: Bitter.
Color: Red.
Appearance: Small head, long limbs, sharp brows, bright eyes.
Positive Traits: Humble, polite, enthusiastic.
Negative Traits (Weak Fire): Deceptive, erratic, envious.
3. Earth (土) – Trustworthiness (信)
Nature: Steady, reliable.
Taste: Sweet.
Color: Yellow.
Appearance: Round body, broad nose, deep voice.
Positive Traits: Honest, patient, dependable.
Negative Traits (Excess Earth): Stubborn, dull.
Deficiency: Untrustworthy, cruel.
4. Metal (金) – Righteousness (义)
Nature: Strong, decisive.
Taste: Spicy.
Color: White.
Appearance: Square face, fair skin, well-built.
Positive Traits: Courageous, just, wise.
Negative Traits (Excess Metal): Ruthless, greedy.
Deficiency: Petty, scheming.
5. Water (水) – Wisdom (智)
Nature: Intelligent, adaptable.
Taste: Salty.
Color: Black.
Appearance: Dark complexion, sharp speech.
Positive Traits: Wise, strategic, calm.
Negative Traits (Excess Water): Deceptive, unstable.
Deficiency: Cowardly, indecisive.The Five Elements are not just materials but abstract forces governing natural cycles, human health, and personality. Their interactions—generation (生) and restriction (克)—maintain cosmic balance. Understanding them helps in destiny analysis (命理), medicine (中医), and Feng Shui (风水).
