The concept of the Five Elements refers to the five substances: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, and their laws of movement and change. The Five Elements summarize the operational laws of the five seasonal climates and the interrelations of the five climatic conditions: Wind, Heat, Humidity, Dryness, and Cold.In simple terms, the Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. They are used to deduce the changing laws of other phenomena based on the movement and transformation of the Five Elements. For instance, the Five Elements correspond to the five organs: Liver (Gan), Heart (Xin), Spleen (Pi), Lung (Fei), and Kidney (Shen).The fundamental content of the Five Element theory includes five aspects: mutual generation (相生), mutual overcoming (相克), control and transformation (制化), mutual multiplication (相乘), and mutual insult (相侮). Let’s discuss each aspect.1. Mutual Generation (相生):This refers to the orderly, reciprocal nurturing, supporting, and promoting relationships among Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In simple terms, it means you generate me, and I generate you. The sequence of mutual generation indicates that each element has both “generating me” and “I generate” relationships, where the one that generates is the mother, and the one that is generated is the child. For example, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water. Taking Wood and Fire as an example, Wood generates Fire, thus Wood is the mother of Fire, and Fire is the child of Wood.2. Mutual Overcoming (相克):This refers to the normal inhibitory or regulatory self-stabilizing effect that one element has on another when it is in excess. In simple terms, it means I restrain you, and you restrain me, preventing any element from becoming excessive, thus maintaining normalcy. In the sequence of mutual overcoming, each element has both “overcoming me” and “I overcome” relationships, where the one that overcomes is what I cannot defeat, and the one that is overcome is what I can defeat. For example, Wood overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, and Metal overcomes Wood. Taking Water, Fire, and Metal as an example, Water overcomes Fire, and Fire overcomes Metal; thus, for Fire, its overcoming is Metal, and its defeat is Water.3. Control and Transformation (制化):This indicates that the Five Elements maintain a balanced and coordinated state of neither excess nor deficiency through their mutual nurturing and mutual overcoming, allowing for the continuous transformation of all things. In simple terms, it means that they mutually nurture and restrain each other to achieve balance.In summary, the mutual generation, mutual overcoming, and control and transformation of all things represent the normal relationships between phenomena in nature.4. Mutual Multiplication (相乘):This refers to the excessive overcoming of one element over another that it can defeat. In simple terms, it means I excessively bully you. The sequence of mutual multiplication is the same as that of mutual overcoming. For example, Wood multiplies Earth, Earth multiplies Water, Water multiplies Fire, Fire multiplies Metal, and Metal multiplies Wood. There are two situations that lead to mutual multiplication: one is when a certain element is overly vigorous, excessively overcoming the element it can defeat, resulting in mutual multiplication. In simple terms, it means I was already bullying you, and now I am even stronger, so I bully you even more, such as Wood excessively multiplying Earth; the second is when a certain element is too weak to withstand the normal limits of overcoming, resulting in mutual multiplication. In simple terms, it means I was already bullying you, and now you are even weaker, so I can bully you even more, such as Earth being weak and Wood multiplying.5. Mutual Insult (相侮):This refers to one element’s reverse overcoming of another element that it cannot defeat. In simple terms, it means you were originally bullying me, and now I am bullying you back. The sequence is opposite to that of mutual overcoming and mutual multiplication. For example, Wood insults Metal, Metal insults Fire, Fire insults Water, Water insults Earth, and Earth insults Wood. There are two reasons for mutual insult: one is when a certain element is overly strong, causing the element that originally restrained it not only to fail to restrain it but also to be insulted in return. In simple terms, it means you were bullying me before, and now I am stronger, so I can bully you back, such as Wood being vigorous and insulting Metal; the second is when a certain element is too weak, failing to restrain the element it can defeat, and thus being insulted by it. In simple terms, it means you were bullying me before, and now you are weaker, so even if I am not stronger, I can still bully you back, such as Metal being weak and Wood insulting.In summary, mutual multiplication and mutual insult share similarities and differences: the similarity is that both are abnormal overcoming phenomena among the Five Elements, which can be caused by either excess or deficiency of any element. The difference is that mutual multiplication occurs in accordance with the sequence of mutual overcoming, representing excessive overcoming, while mutual insult occurs in the opposite direction of mutual overcoming, representing reverse overcoming. These two can occur separately or simultaneously.Additionally, there is a special point regarding the mother-child relationship in the Five Elements. The mother-child relationship includes two situations: the mother’s illness affecting the child and the child’s illness affecting the mother, representing abnormal changes in the mutual generation relationship among the Five Elements. The mother’s illness affecting the child refers to when a certain element in the Five Elements is abnormal, affecting its child element, leading to both the mother and child being abnormal. The general rule for this is: when the mother element is weak, it causes the child element to also be deficient, ultimately resulting in both the mother and child being deficient. The child’s illness affecting the mother refers to when a certain element in the Five Elements is abnormal, impacting its mother element, ultimately leading to both the child and mother being abnormal. The general rules for this can be threefold: one is when the child element is overly vigorous, causing the mother element to also be overly vigorous, resulting in both being overly vigorous, generally referred to as “the child’s illness attacking the mother”; the second is when the child element is weak, affecting the mother element, causing the mother element to also be deficient, ultimately resulting in both being deficient; the third is when the child element is overly vigorous, damaging the mother element, leading to the child being vigorous and the mother being weak, generally referred to as “the child stealing the mother’s energy.”
