The 5 Elements: Five phases

Phases, not substances

五行 wǔ xíng

The Chinese name means «five movements», not «five materials». Wood is not timber: it is the phase in which something starts, pushes and expands. Translating it as element invites you to look for substances where there are only directions.

Wood

pushes outward and upward

Fire

rises and disperses to the maximum

Earth

centres, transforms and distributes

Metal

gathers, condenses and descends

Water

stores and waits below

Common mistake: Memorising the table without the movement. With the movement, half the table follows by itself.

Match each phase with its solid organ.

Match each phase with its hollow organ.

Sort each trait into the phase it belongs to.

• Stiff tendons and brittle nailsWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Rushed speech and easy laughterWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Worry that circles and goes nowhereWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Dry skin and catching colds easilyWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Fear that arrives with no clear causeWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Irritability that rises and looks for an argumentWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Heaviness after eatingWoodFireEarthMetalWater
• Hair falling out and weak kneesWoodFireEarthMetalWater

What is the correspondence table actually for in clinic?

1. To classify patients by constitutional type
2. To choose favourable colours of clothing and food
3. To relate signs that seem unconnected and trace them to a single origin

Order the phases through the year, starting in spring.

1. Spring: sprouts and pushes↑↓
2. Summer: expands to the maximum↑↓
3. Late summer: ripens and distributes↑↓
4. Autumn: gathers and descends↑↓
5. Winter: stores and waits↑↓