Five Elements 五行
Wǔ Xíng · Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, linked by a producing and a controlling cycle.
What it means
Wu Xing is better translated "five phases" than "five elements": these are not substances but stages in a cycle of change. Wood produces Fire, Fire produces Earth, Earth produces Metal, Metal produces Water, and Water produces Wood. Cutting across that circle is the controlling cycle: Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood.
Why it matters
The two cycles are the engine of every interpretation on this site. A year is favourable or difficult for a sign because of how the year's elements meet the sign's element; a lucky colour is the colour of a helpful element; a feng shui remedy is an element introduced to control or drain another. Without the cycles, the rest is just a list of animals.
| Element | Chinese | Produces | Controls | Colours | Numbers | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | 木 | Fire | Earth | green, teal | 3, 8 | East |
| Fire | 火 | Earth | Metal | red, purple | 2, 7 | South |
| Earth | 土 | Metal | Water | yellow, brown | 5, 10 | Centre |
| Metal | 金 | Water | Wood | white, gold | 4, 9 | West |
| Water | 水 | Wood | Fire | black, blue | 1, 6 | North |
Where this site uses it
Element relations drive the yearly forecasts, the lucky colours on each profile page, and the remedies on the feng shui page — all computed from the same two tables.