What are the Five Elements?

I’ve posted about how to support the Wood Element and taught a class on Wood acupressure points, but in this post I’ll share more context on the Five Elements (wu xing) in general.

Also translated as the Five Phases or Five Processes, wu xing is a very old theory in Chinese culture based on observations of nature, perhaps as a way to inform agriculture. Each element is tied to a cardinal point (or neutral, in the case of Earth), phase of a plant’s life cycle, and time of year:

• Wood

  • East

  • Birth/sprout

  • Spring

• Fire

  • South

  • Growth/blossoming/flower

  • Summer

• Earth

  • Center

  • Maturity/ripening/fruit

  • Transition between seasons or late summer/harvest time

• Metal

  • West

  • Degeneration/decay

  • Autumn

• Water

  • North

  • Death/seed/germination

  • Winter

Chinese medicine later adopted this theory to inform human health and disease. In this worldview, everything is comprised of the Five Elements. The Elements have many correspondences (associated phenomena), but no fixed identity. They are interdependent energies in our lives, both fostering and keeping one another in check. A plant (Wood) relies on soil (Earth) and rain (Water) to grow, but it may need pruning (Metal) to thrive. And we all know wood is literally the source of fire. Fire gives way to ash, which becomes soil (Earth), which is enriched by minerals (Metal), and given structure by roots (Wood). Earth then provides a basin to hold space for lakes, ponds, rivers, and even oceans (Water). And so on.

What does this mean in our lives?

In Chinese medicine, each of the Elements is applied to aspects of human anatomy and physiology. This encompasses not only our dense physical bodies, but our emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects as well (which are all one, anyway). Organs are not only tissue and guts in Chinese medicine. Some do not even have a dense physical aspect at all, but exist only in function. Each “organ” also has a corresponding meridian—an energy channel that runs through the body, along which acupuncture points are located. The organs play physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual roles in our lives, and these are related to each of the Five Elements. Below is a list of the correspondences:

• Wood

  • Organs: Liver & Gallbladder

  • Imbalanced spectrum of emotion: timidity to belligerence

  • Balanced emotion: assertiveness

  • Virtues: benevolence, kindness

• Fire

  • Organs: Heart, Pericardium, Triple Burner, and Small Intestine

  • Imbalanced spectrum of emotion: depression to mania

  • Balanced emotion: joy

  • Virtues: propriety, intimacy

• Earth

  • Organs: Stomach & Spleen

  • Imbalanced spectrum of emotion: worry, ingratiation to callousness, self-indulgence

  • Balanced emotion: sympathy, thoughtfulness

  • Virtues: integrity, reciprocity, deep satisfaction

• Metal

  • Organs: Lung & Large Intestine

  • Imbalanced spectrum of emotion: longing, pining to detached, numb

  • Balanced emotion: appreciation, reverence, healthy grief

  • Virtues: appreciation, acceptance, respect

• Water

  • Organs: Kidneys & Bladder

  • Imbalanced spectrum of emotion: hypervigilance, paranoia, crippling fear to reckless lack of fear

  • Balanced emotion: vigilance

  • Virtues: courage, wisdom

There is much to be unpacked with each of these bullet points, and so many more correspondences with the elements that inform our lives. But that’s for another day! As we approach the summer solstice, stay tuned for upcoming posts that delve more into the Fire Element.

Interested in trying qigong or acupuncture, or other Chinese medicine modalities? Register for a class or book an appointment here.