The Five Elements, in fact, refer to five categories of substances, which classify the myriad materials in the universe according to their properties. These are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
Wood represents plants, Fire represents heat energy, Earth represents land, Metal represents metals, and Water represents liquids.
There exists a relationship of mutual generation and mutual restraint among Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements that are adjacent in a clockwise direction have a generative relationship, while those that are separated by one element in a clockwise direction have a restraining relationship.
Mutual generation means helping and promoting each other; mutual restraint means controlling each other.
For example, in mutual generation: drilling wood creates fire, thus Wood generates Fire; the ashes from burning fire turn into soil, hence Fire generates Earth; metals are contained within the Earth, so Earth generates Metal; when Metal melts, it becomes liquid, thus Metal generates Water; and the survival of plants relies on the nourishment of Water, so Wood generates Wood.
In terms of mutual restraint: the roots and stems of plants cause the land to erode, so Wood restrains Earth; Earth obstructs and directs the spread and flow of Water, thus Earth restrains Water; a raging fire is extinguished by Water, hence Water restrains Fire; although true gold is not afraid of fire, most metals cannot withstand the test of great fire, so Fire restrains Metal; and even a thousand-year-old tree fears being cut down by sharp metal tools, thus Metal restrains Wood.
In fact, the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements dynamically maintain the balance of the entire world.
In terms of direction, the Five Elements correspond to East, South, Center, West, and North;
In terms of seasons, they correspond to Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter;
In terms of weather, they correspond to Wind, Heat, Humidity, Dryness, and Cold;
In terms of emotions, they correspond to Anger, Joy, Thoughtfulness, Fear, and Sadness;
In terms of colors, they correspond to Green, Red, Yellow, White, and Black;
In terms of the human body, they correspond to the Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidneys;
Interestingly, the Five Elements also manifest in the Chinese zodiac:
Wood corresponds to Tiger and Rabbit; Fire corresponds to Snake and Horse; Earth corresponds to Ox, Dragon, Goat, and Dog; Metal corresponds to Monkey and Rooster; Water corresponds to Rat and Pig.
As you can see, understanding the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements can be applied not only to health maintenance but also to friendships. Take a look at your relatives and friends around you, who are the ones that help you grow, and who are the ones that drain your energy.
Of course, everyone who appears in our lives comes with a certain mission, both coincidental and inevitable, and they are all connections we cannot avoid.
Yin and Yang transform into each other; good and bad are also one entity.
