Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth... Five primary elements. Which one suits you? What does this give you? The system of interaction between the 5 primary elements is very interesting, educational, and understanding it can even bring tangible benefits in life.
There is a Western European system/concept of the five elements (air, water, earth, fire, ether) and a Chinese one, coming from Taoism. In this post we’ll talk about the Chinese one, which is called Wu-hsing.
The concept of Wu Xing has been widely used and is used in traditional Chinese medicine, in fortune-telling practices, in martial arts (there is even a fighting style completely built on this system - Xingyiquan), in numerology, in Feng Shui, etc.
Wu-Xing. Theory and concept of the five elements
The concept of the five primary elements is not so well known, but no less deep and interesting.
According to Chinese cosmogony, the world is based on the mutual generation and mutual overcoming of five primary elements (principles, elements): earth, metal (sky), water, fire and wood.
- The nature of water is to be wet and flow downwards.
- The nature of fire is to burn and rise.
- The nature of wood is to bend and straighten.
- The nature of metal is to obey external influences and change.
- The nature of the earth is manifested in the fact that it receives crops, produces crops and is present in everything.
Graphically, the Wu-shin concept looks like this:
Interesting facts about the Chinese horoscope and zodiac signs
- Due to the clear sequence of animals in the Chinese horoscope, if a Chinese person prefers not to disclose his age, he will also not reveal his zodiac sign to someone, so that the other person will not be able to guess and calculate.
- In modern China, there are still quite a few who believe in Chinese astrology and turn to fortune tellers before getting married to gauge the compatibility of their zodiac signs based on their birthday dates. In business, some people believe that zodiac signs should be harmoniously matched before starting a joint collaboration.
- Some people change their names to balance their elements. If a Chinese person is feeling unhappy or notices an imbalance in their life, they can visit a feng shui master and change their name to make it best suit their horoscope sign.
- The absence of cats in the Chinese zodiac is explained by the fact that they were brought to China much later (from Egypt). By the time they appeared in the Middle Kingdom, people decided that one tiger, belonging to the cat family, would be enough as a representative of the zodiac sign.
- In China, each zodiac sign corresponds to a different city. For example, Beijing is the “city of tigers”. Tigers represent the supremacy of the emperor, whose greatness is fully reflected in Beijing. Moreover, “Goat City” is the nickname of Guangzhou. In Chinese culture, goats symbolize happy events and good fortune.
Interaction of 5 elements in Wu Xing
There are two processes here (actually there are more, but these are the main ones):
1. The circle of generation (or nutrition) goes clockwise: Fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire and the circle closes.
2. The circle of destruction follows the star: Fire destroys metal, metal destroys wood, wood destroys earth, earth destroys water, water destroys fire, and everything closes again.
It turns out that each element has 2 close ones. One who nourishes him and the second whom he nourishes. There is one “hostile” one - which destroys it. And there is one addict who is destroyed by himself.
This is important to understand in order to continue using the table.
Which animals of the eastern horoscope are the most beloved in China?
Among the favorite animals in China:
- dragon龙(is a symbol of nobility and strength; people born this year often have high hopes).
- boar猪(children born this year are predicted to have wealth and happiness).
- monkey猴(children born this year are often smart and enterprising in life).
It is quite difficult to determine which zodiac signs are the luckiest and which are not, since each sign has its own advantages and disadvantages. Socially, many believe that different combinations of zodiac signs cause different relationship dynamics, which can affect family life, work relationships, and more.
Which element matches you?
Now it is also important to find out which element in this concept you are (there are no intersections with the zodiac tradition, but there are coincidences, for example, I am “Fire” in all of them). Finding out who you are is very easy! You need to look at the last digit of your year of birth:
- 0 and 1 – you are “Metal”.
- 2 and 3 – you are “Water”.
- 4 and 5 – you are a “Tree”.
- 6 and 7 – you are “Fire”.
- 8 and 9 – you are “Earth”.
You can also remember your animal from the 12 animals of the eastern horoscope and get a complete bunch. For example, I was born in 1977. This is the year of the Snake. The element “Fire” corresponds to me. So I am the “Fire Snake”.
But let's get back to the elements. So, I am "Fire". I have three "allies". I am nourished and given energy by people, things, products and phenomena of the elements “Wood” and “Fire” itself. I myself feed the “Earth”. What destroys me is what is associated with the element “Water”. And finally, my relationship with the element “Metal” is this: it cannot particularly influence me, but I can destroy it when interacting.
Now it is important to understand how different things and phenomena relate to elements and are thus interconnected. This is easy to find out from the table below:
Element Water
Water gives the world diplomats who combine flexibility with determination, and politeness with persistence; Such people set themselves a goal that is extremely difficult to achieve in a direct way, but still achieve success.
Water people have highly developed intuition, they are sensitive to the mood of others, sociable, charming and quite intelligent. In addition, they are usually quite talented, but need help and support to demonstrate their abilities.
Water protects the North; the season of this element is winter, the planet is Mercury, the color is black.
Analyzing and applying element table data
Again, for example, let’s look at it in relation to me. The two elements “Wood” and “Fire” give me energy. So, this is what is good for me (does not contradict nature and gives strength/energy):
- spring and summer;
- emotions and materiality;
- red, blue, green colors;
- sit facing east or south;
- practice morning and afternoon;
- take care of the eyes, liver, gall bladder;
- get annoyed and laugh;
- eat lamb, poultry, wheat, oats, carrots;
etc.
The element “Water” destroys me and it means it is better to avoid or especially control the processes associated with this element. In this case, pay special attention to the kidneys, bladder, and blood vessels. There is a higher likelihood of developing diseases.
Of course, in all this there is no need to reach the point of fanaticism and, say, shy away from people and phenomena of a destructive sign. Just keep in mind that there are such patterns and take them into account somewhere. Moreover, it is believed that an element that has learned to control its “destroyer” and interact with it receives special power.
More interesting observations. Why do liver diseases affect the appearance of the eyes? It’s simple – it’s one element “Wood”. Why can pain in the heart be significantly reduced or even eliminated by massaging the thumb and ring finger? Because these are the elements - “Wood” and “Fire”, etc. You can find many interesting patterns.
Element Wood
Wood people are characterized by kindness, responsiveness, spontaneity of reactions and actions. They dream of devoting their lives to travel or research, and if they do not have such an opportunity, they give free rein to their boundless imagination, turning into inventors, brilliant storytellers or writers. They are idealists, seriously concerned about ethical issues, and easily disappointed in people.
Tree people get along well with others, infecting them with their enthusiasm and optimism. True, they prefer productive cooperation to empty chatter, so they practically do not allow lazy people into their environment.
The tree is the patron of the East; the season of this element is spring, the planet is Jupiter, the color is green .
Other Chinese characters with translation into Russian
A few characters that can help in everyday life in China:
- 喜喜 – double happiness
Double Happiness
- 寿 – longevity
Longevity
- 尊重 – respect
Respect
- 禄 – prosperity
Prosperity
- 永恒 – eternity
Eternity
- 智慧 – wisdom
Wisdom
- 自豪 – pride
Pride
- 力 – strength
Force
- 朋友 – friend
Friend
- 能源 – energy
Energy
- 美 – beauty
beauty
- 自由 – freedom
Liberty
- 梦 – dream
Dream
- 风 – wind
Wind
- 希望 – hope
Nadezhda
- 和平 – peace and harmony
Peace, harmony
- 福 – fortune, luck
Luck
- 命运 – fate
Fate
- 忠诚 – loyalty, devotion
Devotion
- 勇气 – courage, valor
Courage, valor
Fire type person
A “fiery” person is usually the leader and soul of the company. He loves to laugh and make people laugh, hates routine and boredom and loves adventure, ideas flow out of him.
Appearance: Tall, heart-shaped face, slightly smaller hands and feet than a normal build.
Strengths: Thanks to his energy and passion, the fire person is capable of being a true leader. He is able to “ignite” others with an idea, gather a team and inspire it to move towards a common goal.
Problems: when the element is imbalanced, it needs constant emotional stimulation, becomes talkative and intrusive. Cannot concentrate, calm down and make an informed decision.
The excitability inherent in a person of the “fire” type often leads to insomnia and nervous disorders.
Vulnerable Organ: The weak point of this type of person is the heart. To keep it healthy, you need to protect yourself from nervous overload and find time for peace.
Main emotion: joy. It is important to remember that joy should be moderate. Excessive fun and constant pleasure deprive a person of energy and devastate him.
Products: such people benefit from grains, vegetables, dark greens, beans, and moderately bitter foods. It is better to reduce your intake of chocolate, salt, red meat (especially liver), stimulants and hot spices.
What is useful for maintaining balance:
✓ It is useful for you, more than anyone else, to practice restraint and moderate silence. “The word is silver, but silence is golden” - follow this proverb, and your inner fire will be kept within limits.
✓ Avoid very hot weather. In extreme heat, try to stay in the shade and eat cooling fruits (such as watermelon). Overheating is bad for everyone, but especially for you.
✓ Drink more water - this will somewhat reduce the strength of fire in your body. However, avoid very cold water as this can lead to imbalance.
✓ Love privacy. Be sure to find time to be alone, take a walk, sit on the river bank, and think. Rest from society and self-absorption are vital for you.
✓ It's important to avoid distraction, so try to plan ahead and prioritize.
✓ If your heart is healthy, then you will feel good. I wrote a separate article about how to strengthen the heart.
