| Wuxing | |
| C: | 五行 |
| P: | wǔxíng |
| W: | wu3-hsing2 |
| Bpmf: | ㄨˇㄒㄧㄥˊ |
| Y: | ngh-hàhng |
| Poj: | Ngó͘-hân Ngó͘-hîng |
| Buc: | Ngū-hèng |
| ngũ hành | |
| Qn: | ngũ hành |
| Chuhan: | 五行 |
(Chinese: c={{linktext|五行), usually translated as Five Phases or Five Agents,[1] is a fivefold conceptual scheme used in many traditional Chinese fields of study to explain a wide array of phenomena, including cosmic cycles, the interactions between internal organs, the succession of political regimes, and the properties of herbal medicines.
The agents are Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth. The wuxing system has been in use since it was formulated in the second or first century BCE during the Han dynasty. It appears in many seemingly disparate fields of early Chinese thought, including music, feng shui, alchemy, astrology, martial arts, military strategy, I Ching divination, and traditional medicine, serving as a metaphysics based on cosmic analogy.
Wuxing originally referred to the five major planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Venus), which were with the combination of the Sun and the Moon, conceived as creating five forces of earthly life. This is why the word is composed of Chinese characters meaning "five" (Chinese: c=五|p=wǔ|labels=no) and "moving" (Chinese: c=行|p=xíng|labels=no). "Moving" is shorthand for "planets", since the word for planets in Chinese literally translates as "moving stars" (Chinese: c=行星|p=xíngxīng|labels=no).[2] Some of the Mawangdui Silk Texts (before 168 BC) also connect the wuxing to the wude (Chinese: c=五德|p=wǔdé|labels=no), the Five Virtues and Five Emotions.[3] [4] Scholars believe that various predecessors to the concept of wuxing were merged into one system with many interpretations during the Han dynasty.[5]
Wuxing was first translated into English as "the Five Elements", drawing deliberate parallels with the Greek arrangement of the four elements.[6] [4] This translation is still in common use among practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine, such as in the name of Five Element acupuncture.[7] However, this analogy is misleading. The four elements are concerned with form, substance and quantity, whereas wuxing are "primarily concerned with process, change, and quality".[8] For example, the wuxing element "Wood" is more accurately thought of as the "vital essence" of trees rather than the physical substance wood.[9] This led sinologist Nathan Sivin to propose the alternative translation "five phases" in 1987.[10] But "phase" also fails to capture the full meaning of wuxing. In some contexts, the wuxing are indeed associated with physical substances.[11] Historian of Chinese medicine Manfred Porkert proposed the (somewhat unwieldy) term "Evolutive Phase". Perhaps the most widely accepted translation among modern scholars is "the five agents", proposed by Marc Kalinowski.[12]
In traditional doctrine, the five phases are connected in two cycles of interactions: a generating or creation (shēng) cycle, also known as "mother-son"; and an overcoming or destructive (kè) cycle, also known as "grandfather-grandson" (see diagram). Each of the two cycles can be analyzed going forward or reversed. There is also an "overacting" or excessive version of the destructive cycle.
The generating cycle (xiāngshēng) is:
The reverse generating cycle (/ xiāngxiè) is:
The destructive cycle (xiāngkè) is:
The excessive destructive cycle (xiāngchéng) is:
A reverse or deficient destructive cycle (xiāngwǔ or xiānghào) is:
See main article: Heavenly Stems.
| Movement | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavenly Stems | Jia Chinese: 甲 Yi Chinese: 乙 | Bing Chinese: 丙 Ding Chinese: 丁 | Wu Chinese: 戊 Ji Chinese: 己 | Geng Chinese: 庚 Xin Chinese: 辛 | Ren Chinese: 壬 Gui Chinese: 癸 | |
| Year ends with | 4, 5 | 6, 7 | 8, 9 | 0, 1 | 2, 3 |
In Ziwei divination, neiyin (Chinese: 納音) further classifies the Five Elements into 60 ming (Chinese: 命), or life orders, based on the ganzhi. Similar to the astrology zodiac, the ming is used by fortune-tellers to analyse individual personality and destiny.
| Order | Ganzhi | Ming | Order | Ganzhi | Ming | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jia Zi Chinese: 甲子 | Sea metal Chinese: 海中金 | 31 | Jia Wu Chinese: 甲午 | Sand metal Chinese: 沙中金 | Metal |
| 2 | Yi Chou Chinese: 乙丑 | 32 | Yi Wei Chinese: 乙未 | |||
| 3 | Bing Yin Chinese: 丙寅 | Furnace fire Chinese: 爐中火 | 33 | Bing Shen Chinese: 丙申 | Forest fire Chinese: 山下火 | Fire |
| 4 | Ding Mao Chinese: 丁卯 | 34 | Ding You Chinese: 丁酉 | |||
| 5 | Wu Chen Chinese: 戊辰 | Forest wood Chinese: 大林木 | 35 | Wu Xu Chinese: 戊戌 | Meadow wood Chinese: 平地木 | Wood |
| 6 | Ji Si Chinese: 己巳 | 36 | Ji Hai Chinese: 己亥 | |||
| 7 | Geng Wu Chinese: 庚午 | Road earth Chinese: 路旁土 | 37 | Geng Zi Chinese: 庚子 | Adobe earth Chinese: 壁上土 | Earth |
| 8 | Xin Wei Chinese: 辛未 | 38 | Xin Chou Chinese: 辛丑 | |||
| 9 | Ren Shen Chinese: 壬申 | Sword metal Chinese: 劍鋒金 | 39 | Ren Yin Chinese: 壬寅 | Precious metal Chinese: 金白金 | Metal |
| 10 | Gui You Chinese: 癸酉 | 40 | Gui Mao Chinese: 癸卯 | |||
| 11 | Jia Xu Chinese: 甲戌 | Volcanic fire Chinese: 山頭火 | 41 | Jia Chen Chinese: 甲辰 | Lamp fire Chinese: 佛燈火 | Fire |
| 12 | Yi Hai Chinese: 乙亥 | 42 | Yi Si Chinese: 乙巳 | |||
| 13 | Bing Zi Chinese: 丙子 | Cave water Chinese: 洞下水 | 43 | Bing Wu Chinese: 丙午 | Sky water Chinese: 天河水 | Water |
| 14 | Ding Chou Chinese: 丁丑 | 44 | Ding Wei Chinese: 丁未 | |||
| 15 | Wu Yin Chinese: 戊寅 | Fortress earth Chinese: 城頭土 | 45 | Wu Shen Chinese: 戊申 | Highway earth Chinese: 大驛土 | Earth |
| 16 | Ji Mao Chinese: 己卯 | 46 | Ji You Chinese: 己酉 | |||
| 17 | Geng Chen Chinese: 庚辰 | Wax metal Chinese: 白腊金 | 47 | Geng Xu Chinese: 庚戌 | Jewellery metal Chinese: 釵釧金 | Metal |
| 18 | Xin Si Chinese: 辛巳 | 48 | Xin Hai Chinese: 辛亥 | |||
| 19 | Ren Wu Chinese: 壬午 | Willow wood Chinese: 楊柳木 | 49 | Ren Zi Chinese: 壬子 | Mulberry wood Chinese: 桑柘木 | Wood |
| 20 | Gui Wei Chinese: 癸未 | 50 | Gui Chou Chinese: 癸丑 | |||
| 21 | Jia Shen Chinese: 甲申 | Stream water Chinese: 泉中水 | 51 | Jia Yin Chinese: 甲寅 | Rapids water Chinese: 大溪水 | Water |
| 22 | Yi You Chinese: 乙酉 | 52 | Yi Mao Chinese: 乙卯 | |||
| 23 | Bing Xu Chinese: 丙戌 | Roof tiles earth Chinese: 屋上土 | 53 | Bing Chen Chinese: 丙辰 | Desert earth Chinese: 沙中土 | Earth |
| 24 | Ding Hai Chinese: 丁亥 | 54 | Ding Si Chinese: 丁巳 | |||
| 25 | Wu Zi Chinese: 戊子 | Lightning fire Chinese: 霹靂火 | 55 | Wu Wu Chinese: 戊午 | Sun fire Chinese: 天上火 | Fire |
| 26 | Ji Chou Chinese: 己丑 | 56 | Ji Wei Chinese: 己未 | |||
| 27 | Geng Yin Chinese: 庚寅 | Conifer wood Chinese: 松柏木 | 57 | Geng Shen Chinese: 庚申 | Pomegranate wood Chinese: 石榴木 | Wood |
| 28 | Xin Mao Chinese: 辛卯 | 58 | Xin You Chinese: 辛酉 | |||
| 29 | Ren Chen Chinese: 壬辰 | River water Chinese: 長流水 | 59 | Ren Xu Chinese: 壬戌 | Ocean water Chinese: 大海水 | Water |
| 30 | Gui Si Chinese: 癸巳 | 60 | Gui Hai Chinese: 癸亥 |
The wuxing schema is applied to explain phenomena in various fields.
The five phases are around 73 days each and are usually used to describe the transformations of nature rather than their formative states.
See main article: Feng shui. The art of feng shui (Chinese geomancy) is based on wuxing, with the structure of the cosmos mirroring the five phases, as well as the eight trigrams. Each phase has a complex network of associations with different aspects of nature (see table): colors, seasons and shapes all interact according to the cycles.[13]
An interaction or energy flow can be expansive, destructive, or exhaustive, depending on the cycle to which it belongs. By understanding these energy flows, a feng shui practitioner attempts to rearrange energy to benefit the client.
| Movement | Metal | Fire | Wood | Water | Earth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trigram hanzi | Chinese: 乾 | Chinese: 兌 | Chinese: 離 | Chinese: 震 | Chinese: 巽 | Chinese: 坎 | Chinese: 艮 | Chinese: 坤 | |
| Trigram pinyin | qián | duì | lí | zhèn | xùn | kǎn | gèn | kūn | |
| Trigrams | ☰ | ☱ | ☲ | ☳ | ☴ | ☵ | ☶ | ☷ | |
| I Ching | Heaven | Lake | Fire | Thunder | Wind | Water | Mountain | Field | |
| Planet (Celestial Body) | Saturn | ||||||||
| Color | White | Red | Green | Black | Yellow | ||||
| Day | Friday | Tuesday | Thursday | Wednesday | Saturday | ||||
| Season | Autumn | Summer | Spring | Winter | Intermediate | ||||
| Cardinal direction | West | South | East | North | Center | ||||
According to the Warring States period political philosopher Zou Yan (BCE), each of the five elements possesses a personified virtue (Chinese: c=德|p=dé|labels=no), which indicates the foreordained destiny (Chinese: c=運|p=yùn|labels=no) of a dynasty; hence the cyclic succession of the elements also indicates dynastic transitions. Zou Yan claims that the Mandate of Heaven sanctions the legitimacy of a dynasty by sending self-manifesting auspicious signs in the ritual color (yellow, blue, white, red, and black) that matches the element of the new dynasty (Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire, and Water). From the Qin dynasty onward, most Chinese dynasties invoked the theory of the Five Elements to legitimize their reign.
The interdependence of zangfu networks in the body was said to be a circle of five things, and so mapped by the Chinese doctors onto the five phases.[14] [15]
In order to explain the integrity and complexity of the human body, Chinese medical scientists and physicians use the Five Elements theory to classify the human body's endogenous influences on organs, physiological activities, pathological reactions, and environmental or exogenous (external, environmental) influences. This diagnostic capacity is extensively used in traditional five phase acupuncture today, as opposed to the modern Confucian styled eight principles based Traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, in combination the two systems are a formative and functional study of postnatal and prenatal influencing on genetics, psychology, sociology and ecology.[16] [17] [18]
| Movement | Water | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet | Mercury | |||||
| Mental Quality | passion, intensity | erudition, resourcefulness, wit | ||||
| Emotion | frenzy, joy | fear, caution | ||||
| Virtue | Benevolence | |||||
| Zang (yin organs) | kidney | |||||
| Fu (yang organs) | urinary bladder | |||||
| Sensory Organ | eyes | ears | ||||
| Body Part | tendons | muscles | bones | |||
| Body Fluid | urine | |||||
| Finger | pinky finger | |||||
| Sense | hearing | |||||
| Taste[19] | salty | |||||
| Smell | rotten | putrid | ||||
| Life | early childhood | youth | adulthood | old age, conception | ||
| Covering | furred | shelled | ||||
| Hour | 3–9 | 9–15 | change | 15–21 | 21–3 | |
| Year | Spring Equinox | Summer Solstice | Summer Final | Fall Equinox | Winter Solstice | |
| 360° | 45–135° | 135–225° | Change | 225–315° | 315–45° |
See main article: Chinese music and Chinese musicology. The Huainanzi and the Yueling chapter (Chinese: c=月令|p=Yuèlìng|labels=no) of the Book of Rites make the following correlations:
| Movement | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Black | |||||
| Arctic Direction | center | north | ||||
| Basic Pentatonic Scale pitch | Chinese: 角 | Chinese: 徵 | Chinese: 宮 | Chinese: 商 | Chinese: 羽 | |
| Basic Pentatonic Scale pitch pinyin | jué | zhǐ | gōng | shāng | yǔ | |
| solfege | mi or E | sol or G | do or C | re or D | la or A |
Tai chi uses the five elements to designate different directions, positions or footwork patterns: forward, backward, left, right and centre, or three steps forward (attack) and two steps back (retreat).[22]
The Five Steps :
The martial art of xingyiquan uses the five elements metaphorically to represent five different states of combat.
| Movement | Fist | Chinese | Pinyin | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal | Splitting | Chinese: 劈 | Pī | To split like an axe chopping up and over | |
| Water | Drilling | Chinese: 鑽 / Chinese: 钻 | Zuān | Drilling forward horizontally like a geyser | |
| Wood | Crushing | Chinese: 崩 | Bēng | To collapse, as a building collapsing in on itself | |
| Fire | Pounding | Chinese: 炮 | Pào | Exploding outward like a cannon while blocking | |
| Earth | Crossing | Chinese: 橫 / 横 | Héng | Crossing across the line of attack while turning over |
The Japanese term is gogyo (Japanese:五行, romanized: gogyō). During the 5th and 6th centuries (Kofun period),[23] Japan adopted various philosophical disciplines such as Taoism, Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism through monks and physicians from China. As opposed to theory of Godai that is form based and was introduced to Japan through India and Tibetan Buddhism[24] evolving the Onmyōdō system. In particular, wuxing was adapted into gogyo. These theories have been extensively practiced in Japanese acupuncture and traditional Kampo medicine.[25] [26]