Introduction to The Five Elements Theory

In the last article, I have introduced the concept of Yin and Yang. Today I will introduce another important Classical Chinese Philosophy that is widely applied in Chinese Medicine (CM). That is the Theory of the Five Elements.

Similar to the Theory of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements Theory does not only apply to CM but also astrology, music, natural sciences, politics, etc. The first reference to the Five Elements dates back to the “Western Zhou Dynasty” (1000-771 BCE).

Basic Properties of the Five Elements

Originally, the Five Elements are referred to the five basic materials which people worked with on a daily basis.

The “Book of Documents” is an ancient classic written around 500 BCE. This classic stated the five elements and its properties.

“The Five Elements are Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth. Water moistens downwards, Fire flare upwards, Wood can be bent and straightened, Metal can be molded and can be hardened, Earth permits sowing, growing and reaping.”

~ The Book of Documents

Through time, the five elements developed into dividing and describing all things and phenomena into five basic properties.

In summary:

Wood – anything that has the function or property of growing and expanding.

Fire – anything that has the function or property of warmth, heat and ascending.

Earth – anything that has the function or property of generating, holding and receiving.

Metal – anything that has the function or property of clearing, purification and solidity.

Water – anything that has the function or property of being cold, moistening or flowing downwards.

Below table shows the extension of the Five Elements to different aspects.

Note: One of the most important among the above is the relationship of the Organs to the Five Elements. This will be explained in future articles when we talk about the organ systems.

Basic Interactions between the Five Elements

In order to apply the Five Elements theory, we must understand the interactions between the Five Elements. There are multiple interactions, but let’s only talk about the basic two for today. Let’s use the below diagram to explain.

1. The Generating Sequence

Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood. ( As illustrated by the Red Arrows in the diagram above)

It may be hard to understand at first, but let us use a simple analogy.

• Wood generates Fire – When you apply friction to wood, it can produce fire.
• Fire generates Earth – Burned remains after a fire can be turned into soil, and that is earth.
• Earth generates Metal – Underneath the earth, there are buried metals.
• Metal generates Water – Melting of the metal produces liquid (water).
• Water generates Wood – Water is needed to grow plants (wood).

We can also use a “mother and son” relationship to describe the elements. For example, Wood is the “son of water” and “mother of fire”, etc.

2 The Restriction Sequence

Wood restricts Earth, Earth restricts Water, Water restricts Fire, Fire restricts Metal, Metal restricts Wood. (As illustrated by the brown arrows that form a star in the middle of the diagram above)

Again, let’s use some easy analogies.

• Wood restricts Earth – Wood or plants consume the nutrients of the soil (Earth).
• Earth restricts Water – Earth (Soil) can be gathered to build a dam that blocks the water.
• Water restricts Fire – Water can extinguish fire.
• Fire restricts Metal – Fire can melt metals.
• Metal restricts Wood – Metal can be used to make tools (such as axes) to chop wood.

Normally one element generates and restricts another element in a dynamic balance, so the whole system is overall balanced. For example water restricts fire, but fire also restricts metal who is responsible for generating water. So the balance is maintained.

You can think of this as three people playing rock-paper-scissors. One person is rock, one is paper, and one is scissor. Therefore the overall system is balanced.

But a sudden increase/decrease of an element can disturb the balance of the system. For example, if the Water element is increased, it can over-restrict the fire. If that is what’s happening in our body, then we will be imbalanced and get sick.

Applications of the Five Elements

Using the Five Elements Model, CM practitioners can find patterns of diseases, thus diagnosing and finding out the best way to treat the root cause of the problem.

For example, “Liver” is to Wood and “Spleen” is to Earth. And Wood restricts Earth. Whenever one is angry (Angry is to Wood as well), there will be an over-acting of “Liver-Energy” that will be invading the spleen, which manages the digestive system (Wood overstraining Earth). Thus resulting in a loss of appetite, abdomen distention or diarrhea.

Another example is if one patient has been diagnosed with “Lung Energy deficiency”, instead of just increasing the Lung energy, CM doctors can increase the Spleen energy. (Because “Spleen” is to Earth, “Lung” is to Metal, and “Earth generates Metal”) This is called “Reinforcing Earth to Strengthen Metal”.

If you are confused with the above examples, don’t worry! I will explain more in future articles. Right now, you just need to have a concept that the interactions of the elements can help CM Doctors in diagnosis and treatment.

An entire book can be dedicated to explaining just Five Elements that are applied in CM, not to mention other areas. For now, I am just giving you a basic introduction. More of the Five Elements will be discussed in future articles.

Up next, I will be introducing the “Five Substances”. The “Five Substances” are the foundation materials your body needs in order to survive. They are “Qi”, “Essence”, “Blood”, “Body Fluid” and “Spirit”.

Do you find the Five Elements Model interesting? Comment below!

Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac), Alex Hui created this blog to share with the world the treasures in Chinese Medicine (CM).