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| − | {{Contains Chinese text}}
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| − | {{Classic element}}
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| − | In ancient Taoist thought,'''Wu Xing''' ({{zh-cp|c=五行|p=wǔxíng}}), or the '''Five Phases''', usually translated as '''five elements''', '''five movements''' or '''five steps''' are five dynamic qualities or energies that can be perceived in all natural phenomena. <ref>Note that the five elements are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device for systems with 5 stages; hence the preferred translation of "Phase" over "Element."</ref>
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| − | The elements are:
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| − | *[[Metal (classical element)|metal]] (Chinese:金, pinyin: jīn, "gold")
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| − | *[[Wood (classical element)|wood]] (Chinese: 木, pinyin: mù)
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| − | *[[Water (classical element)|water]] (Chinese: 水, pinyin: shuǐ)
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| − | *[[Fire (classical element)|fire]] (Chinese:火, pinyin: huǒ),
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| − | *[[Earth (classical element)|earth]] (Chinese:土, pinyin: tǔ).
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| − | The system of five phases was used for describing interactions and interpreting relationships between phenomena. It was employed as a device in many fields of early Chinese thought, including geomancy or [[feng shui]], [[Chinese astrology|astrology]], [[traditional Chinese medicine]], [[music]], art, [[military strategy]] and [[martial arts]]. The system is still used as a reference in some forms of [[complementary and alternative medicine]] and martial arts, and in feng shui, fortune-telling and casting horoscopes.
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| − | ==Origin and meaning==
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| − | The Chinese character 行 (xing, hsing), though translated as “phase” or “element,” is a verb meaning “to act” or “to go.” The Five Agents were believed to control the change and movement of the universe, and to provide the energy for all the other groups of five in the Chinese cosmology, such as the Five Virtues of [[Confucianism]], Five Government Ministers, Five Sacred Mountains of [[Taoism]], Five Musical Notes in the pentatonic scale, and the Five Basic Colors. The source of these ancient beliefs is the ''[[I Ching]]'' (''Book of Changes''). <ref>Dorothy Perkins, Encyclopedia of China: the essential reference to China, its history and culture. New York: Facts on File. 1999. p. 161</ref> Some scholars theorize that the original foundation for the five elements is the concept of the [[Cardinal direction#Far East|Five Cardinal Points]].
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| − | Each of the five agents is associated with a specific element in each group of five. For example, fire is associated with summer, red, and the Ministry of War. Wood is associated with the spring season, the color green, and the Ministry of Agriculture. The [[Five Sacred Mountains]] represent the four cardinal directions plus the center of the universe; the eastern mountain is green, the southern is red, the central mountain yellow, the northern mountain black, and the western mountain white. In Chinese history, the successive dynasties were linked to each of the five phases; the [[Xia dynasty]] (2200 – 1750 B.C.E.) was wood; the [[Shang dynasty]] (1750 – 1040 B.C.E.) was metal; the [[Zhou dynasty]] (1100 – 256 B.C.E.) was fire and red; and the founder of the [[Qin dynasty]] (221 B.C.E. – 206 C.E.) chose black and water as his symbols.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
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| − | Traditional schools of the internal martial art [[Taijiquan]] relate the five elements to footwork and refer to them as five "steps." The system is still used as a reference in some forms of [[complementary and alternative medicine]] and martial arts. Some claim the original foundation for these elements are the concept of the [[Cardinal direction#Far East|Five Cardinal Points]].
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| − |
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| − | ==Cycles==
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| − | The doctrine of five phases describes two '''Cycles of Balance''', a generating or creation (生, ''shēng'') cycle and an overcoming or destruction (克/剋, ''kè'') cycle of interactions between the phases. In any creative activity, such as martial arts, medicine, painting or music, each element should only be combined with the elements that come before and after it in the cycle.
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| − | There are also two '''Cycles of Imbalance'''. An overacting cycle ''(cheng)'' occurs when the balance maintained in the generating sequence is disrupted, causing one element to become excessive and “overcontrol” another element. An insulting sequence (“''wu'',” also known as rebellious cycle, insulting cycle) operates in reverse to the overcoming sequence, when the balance between two elements is broken and the element that is usually being controlled “insults” the controlling element by overcoming it. <ref>[http://www.acupuncture.com.au/education/theory/thefiveelements.html The Five Elements] Retrieved January 20, 2009.</ref>
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| − |
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| − | ===Generating===
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| − | The common memory devices to help remember the correct order of the phases are:
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| − |
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| − | *Wood feeds Fire;
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| − | *Fire creates Earth (ash);
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| − | *Earth bears Metal;
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| − | *Metal carries Water (as in a bucket or tap);
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| − | *Water nourishes Wood.
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| − | Other common words for this cycle include "begets," "engenders" and "mothers."
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| − |
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| − | ===Overcoming===
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| − | Each of the five elements also has dominance over another:
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| − |
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| − | *Wood parts Earth;
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| − | *Earth absorbs Water;
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| − | *Water quenches Fire;
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| − | *Fire melts Metal;
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| − | *Metal chops Wood.
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| − | This cycle is also called "controls," "restrains" or "fathers."
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| − |
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| − | [[Image:FiveElementsCycleBalanceImbalance.jpg|thumb|right|Interactions of Five Chinese Elements - Cycles of Balance and Cycles of Imbalance]]
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| − | ==Cosmology and ''feng shui''==
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| − | {{main|Feng Shui}}
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| − | According to Wu Xing theory, the structure of the cosmos mirrors the five elements. Each "element" has a complex series of associations with different aspects of nature, as can be seen in the following table. In the ancient Chinese form of [[geomancy]] known as [[feng shui]], practitioners based their art and system on the five elements (Wu Xing). All of these elements are represented within the [[bagua]] (eight trigrams). Associated with each of these elements are colors, seasons and shapes, all of which interact with each other. <ref> [http://www.northernshaolinacademy.com/new/docs/FiveElementsChart.xls Chinese Five Elements Chart]Information on the Chinese Five Elements from Northern Shaolin Academy in Microsoft Excel 2003 Format. Retrieved January 20, 2009.</ref>
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| − | Based on a particular directional energy flow from one element to the next, the interaction can be expansive, destructive, or exhaustive. Proper knowledge of these principles of energy flow enables feng shui practitioners to apply specific cures by rearrangement of energy in a way they believe to be beneficial.
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| − |
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Element || Wood || Fire || Earth || Metal || Water
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Color]]
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| − | | [[green]] || [[red]] || [[yellow]] || [[white]] || [[blue]] or <br/> [[black]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[cardinal directions|Direction]]
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| − | | [[east]] || [[south]] || center / [[zenith]] || [[west]] ||[[north]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Planet]]
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| − | | [[Jupiter]] || [[Mars]] || [[Saturn]] || [[Venus]] || [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Chinese constellation|Heavenly creature]]
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| − | | [[Azure Dragon (Chinese constellation)|Azure Dragon]]<br/>蒼龍 or 青龍 || [[Vermilion Bird (Chinese constellation)|Vermilion Bird]]<br/>朱雀 || [[Huang Long (mythology)|Yellow Dragon]] or Yellow [[Qilin]]<br/>黃龍 or 黃麟 || [[White Tiger (Chinese constellation)|White Tiger]]<br/>白虎 || [[Black Tortoise (Chinese constellation)|Black Tortoise]]<br/>玄武
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Heavenly Stems]]
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| − | | [[wiktionary:甲|甲]], [[wiktionary:乙|乙]] || [[wiktionary:丙|丙]], [[wiktionary:丁|丁]] || [[wiktionary:戊|戊]], [[wiktionary:己|己]] || [[wiktionary:庚|庚]], [[wiktionary:辛|辛]] || [[wiktionary:壬|壬]], [[wiktionary:癸|癸]]
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| − | |-
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| − | !Phase
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| − | | New Yang || Full Yang || Yin/Yang balance || New Yin || Full Yin
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Energy]]
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| − | |generative || expansive || stabilizing || contracting || conserving
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Season]]
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| − | | [[spring (season)|spring]] || [[summer]] || change of seasons<br/>(every third month) || [[autumn]] || [[winter]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Climate]]
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| − | |[[windy]] || [[temperature|hot]] || [[damp]] || [[dry]] || [[cold]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Development]]
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| − | | sprouting || blooming || ripening || withering || dormant
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Livestock]]
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| − | | [[dog]] || [[sheep]]/[[goat]] || [[cattle]] || [[chicken]] || [[pig]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Fruit]]
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| − | | [[plum]] || [[apricot]] || [[jujube]](dates) || [[peach]] || [[chestnut]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Grain]]
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| − | | [[wheat]] || [[beans]] || [[rice]] || [[hemp]] || [[millet]]
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| − | |}
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| − |
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| − | ===Bagua===
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| − | {{main|Bagua (concept)}}
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| − | The elements have also been correlated to the eight trigrams of the [[I Ching]]:
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Element || Wood || Fire || Earth || Metal || Water
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| − | |-
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| − | ! I Ching
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| − | | Wood, splinter || Fire, lightning || Earth, sand || Metal, iron || Water, ice
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Trigrams
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| − | | <nowiki>:||</nowiki> ({{unicode|☴}} 巽 ''xùn'') <nowiki>|::</nowiki> ({{unicode|☳}} 震 ''zhèn'')
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| − | | <nowiki>|:|</nowiki> ({{unicode|☲}} 離 ''lí'')
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| − | | <nowiki>:::</nowiki> ({{unicode|☷}} 坤 ''kūn'') <nowiki>::|</nowiki> ({{unicode|☶}} 艮 ''gèn'')
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| − | | <nowiki>|||</nowiki> ({{unicode|☰}} 乾 ''qián'') <nowiki>||:</nowiki> ({{unicode|☱}} 兌 ''duì'')
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| − | | <nowiki>:|:</nowiki> ({{unicode|☵}} 坎 ''kǎn'')
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| − | |-
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| − | |}
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| − |
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| − | ==Chinese medicine==
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| − |
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| − | [[Image:FiveElementsDiurnalCycle.jpg|thumb|right|Five Chinese Elements - Diurnal Cycle]]
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| − | {{Main|Traditional Chinese medicine}}
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| − | The interdependence of [[Zang Fu|organ]] networks in the body was noted to be a circle of five majpr systems, and was mapped by Chinese doctors onto the five phases. For instance, the liver (wood phase) is said to be the "mother" of the heart (fire phase), and the kidneys (water phase) the “mother” of the liver. In the case of a kidney deficiency affecting the function of the liver, the observation is made that the "mother" is weak, and cannot support the child. However, the kidneys (water phase) control the heart (fire phase) in the “overcoming” (“ke”) cycle, so the kidneys are said to restrain the heart. Many of these interactions have now been linked to known physiological pathways (such as the pH of the kidney affecting activity of the heart).
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| − | The application of the five elements in Chinese medicine is only a model, with some known exceptions, but because it seems to produce valid results, it has remained in use for thousands of years.
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| − | The order in which the Five Phases are cited in the Bo Hu Tong and other Han dynasty texts is: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. According to Chinese medical theory, the organs are most effectively treated during the following four-hour periods throughout the day, beginning with the period from 3 a.m. to 7 a. m.:
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| − | *3 a.m. to 7 a. m. metal organs (see the list below)
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| − | *7 a.m. to 11 a.m. earth organs
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| − | *11 a.m. to 3 p.m. fire<sub>1</sub> organs
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| − | *3 p.m. to 7 p.m. water organs,
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| − | *7 p.m. to 11 p.m. fire<sub>2</sub> (the "non-empirical" pericardium and “triple burner” organs
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| − | *11 p.m. to 3 a.m. wood organs
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| − | These two orders are further related to the sequence of the planets going outward from the sun (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn; or Water, Metal, Fire, Wood, and Earth) illustrated in a star diagram similar to the one shown above.
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | ! Element || Wood || Fire || Earth || Metal || Water
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Planet]]
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| − | | [[Jupiter]] || [[Mars]] || [[Saturn]] || [[Venus]] || [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Mental Quality
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| − | | [[sensitivity]] || [[creativity]] || [[clarity]] || [[intuition]] ||[[spontaneity]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Emotion|Negative Emotion]]
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| − | | [[anger]], [[frustration]] || over-excitation || [[worry]], [[anxiety]] || [[grief]], [[sadness]] || [[fear]], lack of will
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Emotion|Positive Emotion]]
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| − | |[[patience]] || [[joy]] || [[empathy]],[[love]] || [[courage]] || [[calmness]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Zang Fu theory|Zang]] ([[yin and yang|yin organs]])
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| − | | [[liver]] || [[heart]]/[[pericardium]] || [[spleen]]/[[pancreas]] || [[lung]] || [[kidney]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Zang Fu theory|Fu]] ([[yin and yang|yang organs]])
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| − | | [[gall bladder]] || [[small intestine]]/[[San Jiao]] || [[stomach]] || [[large intestine]] || [[urinary bladder]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Sensory [[organ (anatomy)|organ]]
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| − | | [[eye]] || [[tongue]] || [[mouth]] || [[nose]] || [[ears]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Body Part
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| − | | [[tendon]]s || [[pulse]] || [[muscle]] || [[skin]] || [[bone]]s
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Body Fluid
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| − | | [[tears]] || [[sweat]] || [[saliva]] || [[mucus]] || [[urine]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Finger]]
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| − | | [[index finger]] || [[middle finger]] || [[thumb]] || [[ring finger]] || [[little finger]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Sense]]
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| − | | [[Visual perception|sight]] || [[Speech communication|speech]] || [[taste]] || [[olfaction|smell]] || [[Hearing (sense)|hearing]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Taste]]
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| − | | [[sour]] || [[bitter (taste)|bitter]] || [[sweet]] || [[pungent]] || [[salt]]y
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Olfaction|Smell]]
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| − | | [[Rancidification|rancid]] || scorched || [[fragrant]] || [[putrid]] || [[Biodegradation|rotten]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! [[Life]]
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| − | | [[Childbirth|birth]] || [[youth]] || [[adulthood]] || [[old age]] || [[death]]
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| − | |-
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| − | |}
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| − |
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| − | ==Chinese astrology==
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| − | {{Main|Chinese astrology}}
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| − | Chinese astrology is based upon the interaction of the five elements with the twelve signs of the Chinese [[zodiac]], to produce a 60 year cycle of signs. A 60th birthday celebration is especially significant because the person has lived through a complete cycle of 60 years.
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | ! Element || Wood || Fire || Earth || Metal || Water
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Heavenly Stem]]
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| − | | Jia 甲 <br/> Yi 乙 || Bing 丙 <br/> Ding 丁 || Wu 戊 <br/> Ji 己 || Geng 庚 <br/> Xin 辛 || Ren 壬 <br/> Gui 癸
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| − | |-
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| − | !Birth year ends with
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| − | | 4, 5 || 6, 7 || 8, 9 || 0, 1 || 2, 3
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| − | |}
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| − | For example, someone born in the year 1953, the year of the Snake, is said to be born in the year of the Water Snake because his or her birth year ends with 3, a number associated with Water. Fortune-tellers use these associations in determining whether a couple will have a fortuitous marriage.
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| − | ==Music==
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| − | {{main|Chinese music}}
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| − | The ''Yuèlìng'' chapter (月令篇) of the ''Lǐjì'' (禮記) and the ''Huáinánzǐ'' (淮南子) make the following correlations:
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | ! Element || Wood || Fire || Earth || Metal || Water
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| − | |-
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| − | ![[Colour]]
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| − | | [[green]] || [[red]] || [[yellow]] || [[white]] || [[blue]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Direction
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| − | | [[east]] || [[south]] || [[center]] || [[west]] || [[north]]
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| − | |-
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| − | ! The Chinese Five-note Scale
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| − | | ''jué'' 角 (mi) || ''zhǐ'' 徵 (so) || ''gōng'' 宮 (do) || ''shāng'' 商 (re) || ''yǔ'' 羽 (la)
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| − | |-
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| − | |}
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| − | The Chinese word 青 ''qīng'', traditionally translated as [[Azure (color)|azure]] in this context, includes the range in the [[spectrum]] from green to blue, with shades down to black.
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| − | In modern Western music, various seven note or five note scales (e.g., the major scale) are defined by selecting seven or five frequencies from the set of twelve semi-tones in the [[Equal tempered]] tuning. The Chinese "lǜ" tuning is closest to the ancient Greek tuning of [[Pythagoras]].
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| − | ==Xingyi martial arts==
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| − | {{main|Xingyi}}
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| − | The martial art [[Xingyiquan]] uses the five elements to metaphorically represent five different states of combat. Xingyiquan practitioners use the five elements as an interpretative framework for reacting and responding to attacks. The five element theory is a general combat formula which assumes at least three outcomes of a fight; the constructive, the neutral, and the destructive. Xingyiquan students train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on the constructive, neutral and destructive interactions of five element theory. Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique—and how those motions should work defensively—is determined by the point of the cycle in which the combatant sees himself or herself.
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| − |
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| − | Each of the elements has variant applications that allow it to be used to defend against all of the elements (including itself), so any set sequences are entirely arbitrary, though the destructive cycle is often taught to beginners as it is easier to visualize and consists of easier applications.
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| − |
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Element
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| − | ! Fist
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| − | ! [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
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| − | ! [[Pinyin]]
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| − | ! Description
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| − | |-
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| − | | '''Wood'''
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| − | | Crushing
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| − | | 崩
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| − | | Bēng
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| − | | To collapse, as a building collapsing in on itself.
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| − | |-
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| − | | '''Fire'''
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| − | | Pounding
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| − | | 炮
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| − | | Pào
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| − | | Exploding outward like a cannon while blocking.
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| − | |-
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| − | | '''Earth'''
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| − | | Crossing
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| − | | 橫
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| − | | Héng
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| − | | Crossing across the line of attack while turning over.
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| − | |-
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| − | | '''Metal'''
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| − | | Splitting
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| − | | 劈
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| − | | Pī
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| − | | To split like an axe chopping up and over.
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| − | |-
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| − | | '''Water'''
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| − | | Drilling
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| − | | 鑽
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| − | | Zuān
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| − | | Drilling forward horizontally like a geyser.
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| − | |-
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| − | |}
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| − |
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| − | ==Shan shui painting==
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| − | Shan shui ({{zh-c|山水}} lit. "mountain-water") is a style of [[Chinese painting]] that involves or depicts [[scenery]] or natural [[Landscape art|landscape]]s, using a [[Ink brush|brush]] and [[ink]] rather than more conventional paints. [[Mountain]]s, [[river]]s and often [[waterfalls]] are prominent in this art form. Shan shui is painted and designed in accordance with Chinese [[Wu Xing|elemental theory]], with the [[Five elements (Chinese philosophy)|five elements]] representing various parts of the natural world, and has specific directions for colorations that should be used in cardinal 'directions' of the painting, and for which color should dominate. <ref name="foo5">Early Chinese Texts on Painting by Susan Bush, Hsio-yen Shih. Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR), Vol. 7, No. 1/2 (Jul., 1985), pp. 153-159</ref>
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |-
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| − | ! Direction
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| − | ! Element
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| − | ! Colour
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| − | |-
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| − | | East
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| − | | Wood
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| − | | Green
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| − | |-
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| − | | South
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| − | | Fire
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| − | | Red
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| − | |-
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| − | | NE / SW
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| − | | Earth
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| − | | Tan or Yellow
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| − | |-
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| − | | West / NW
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| − | | Metal
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| − | | White or gold
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| − | |-
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| − | | North
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| − | | Water
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| − | | Blue or Black
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| − | |}
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| − |
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| − | Positive interactions between the Elements are:
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| − |
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| − | *Wood produces Fire
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| − | *Fire produces Earth
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| − | *Earth produces Metal
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| − | *Metal produces Water
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| − | *Water produces Wood.
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| − |
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| − | Elements that react positively should be used together. For example, Water complements both Metal and Wood; therefore, a painter would combine blue and green or blue and white. There is a positive interaction between Earth and Fire, so a painter would mix Yellow and Red.<ref name="chineseeye">{{cite book|last=Yee|first=Chiang|coauthors=S.I. Hsiung|title=The Chinese eye: An interpretation of Chinese painting|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1964}}</ref>
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| − |
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| − | Negative interactions between the Elements are:
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| − |
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| − | *Wood uproots Earth
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| − | *Earth blocks Water
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| − | *Water douses Fire
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| − | *Fire melts Metal
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| − | *Metal chops Wood
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| − |
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| − | Elements that interact negatively should never be used together. For example, Fire will not interact positively with Water or Metal so a painter would not choose to mix red and blue, or red and white.<ref name="goo">Textual Evidence for the Secular Arts of China in the Period from Liu Sung through Sui by Alexander Soper</ref>
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| − |
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| − | == See also ==
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| − | * [[Feng shui]]
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| − | * [[Qi]]
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| − | * [[Qigong]]
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| − | * [[Tao]]
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| − | * [[Traditional Chinese medicine]]
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| − | * [[Chinese music]]
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| − | *[[Chinese musicology]]
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | ==Notes==
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| − | {{reflist}}
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| − |
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| − | == References==
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| − | *Bush,Susan and Hsio-yen Shih. Early Chinese Texts on Painting by Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR), Vol. 7, No. 1/2 (July 1985), pp. 153-159
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| − | * [[Feng Youlan]] (Yu-lan Fung), ''A History of Chinese Philosophy'', volume 2, 1952 – 1953. p. 13
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| − | * [[Joseph Needham|Needham, Joseph]], ''Science and Civilization in China'', volume 2, 1954. pp. 262-23
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| − | * Maciocia, G. ''The Foundations of Chinese Medicine'', 2nd edn. Elsevier Ltd., London. 2005. ISBN 9780443039805
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| − | * Perkins, Dorothy. 1999. Encyclopedia of China: the essential reference to China, its history and culture. New York: Facts on File. 1999. pp. 160 – 161 ISBN 9780816026937
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| − | *Soper, Alexander Coburn. Textual evidence for the secular arts of China in the period from Liu Sung through Sui (A.D. 420-618). Excluding treatises on painting. Artibus Asiae, 24. Ascona: Artibus Asiae Publishers. 1967.
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| − | == External links ==
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| − | All links retrieved January 20, 2009.
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| − | *[http://iching.com.my/five-elements-en.htm Five Elements] Malaysia I Ching Net
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| − | *[http://www.acupuncture.com.au/education/theory/thefiveelements.html Five Element Information] Five Element interrelationships, concordances and causative factors.
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| − | * [http://www.char4u.com/chinese-zodiac-sign.php Chinese Zodiac Chart] Find your Chinese Zodiac sign based on your date of birth.
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| − | * [http://homeopathy.healthspace.eu/qi/chinese.php Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)] A model of transition from the traditional elements
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| − | * [http://www.nuconcept.com/Five-Elements-sp-17.html Five Elements of Feng Shui] The Five Elements of Feng Shui and Their Interactions
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| − | [[Category:Philosophy and religion]]
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| − | {{credits|Wu_Xing|223116912}}
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