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In ancient chinese culture it was believed everything in the world was made up of five elements called, Wu Xing(五行). Wu refers to the five fundamental substances, while Xing means their movements and changes. In western culture the four elements, earth, wind, fire and water are separate and unchangeable. In chinese theory, each of the five elements promotes the growth of another element, thus each has a child and a parent relationship with another element.
Each element has its own properties which were later applied to the Zang organs in order to explain their interaction. This was a huge leap forward in thinking for classical thinkers, mostly influenced by Daoism. This can still be see in the martial art, Xing Yi.
By giving the Zang and Fu organs designations it was now possible to predict the develop and spread of diseases and find medicines to fight against them.
The five elements
Wood 木
Property: Wood winds and spreads like the branches of a tree. It symbolizes growing upward and spreading freely.
Zang organ: Liver
Fu organ: Gall Bladder
Sense organ: Eye
Tissues: Tendons
Emotion: Anger
Flavor: Sour
Color: Green
Direction: East
Climate: Windy
Season: Spring
Fire 火
Property: Fire has the property of hotness and flaring upwards. Things that warm and ascend belong to fire.
Zang organ: Heart
Fu organ: Small Intestine
Sense organ: Tongue
Tissues: Blood Vessles
Emotion: Joy
Flavor: Bitter
Color: Red
Direction: South
Climate: Heat
Season: Summer
Earth 土
Property: Earth has the property of growing and generation. Things that generate, transform and receive belong to earth.
Zang organ: Spleen
Fu organ: Stomach
Sense organ: Mouth
Tissues: Muscles
Emotion: Over thinking (pensiveness)
Flavor: Sweet
Color: Yellow
Direction: Center
Climate: Dampness
Season: Long Summer
Metal 金
Properties: Metal has the property of purifying, descending and astringing because metal goes through a smelting and purification process when it is shaped.
Zang organ: Lung
Fu organ: Large Intestine
Sense organ: Nose
Tissues: Skin
Emotion: Sadness
Flavor: Pungent
Color: White
Direction: West
Climate: dryness
Season: Fall (Autumn)
Water 水
Properties: Water has the property of moistening, flowing downwards. Things that moisted, decend and are cold belong to water.
Zang organ: Kidney
Fu organ: Urinary Bladder
Sense organ: Ears
Tissues: Bones
Emotion: Fear
Flavor: Salty
Color: Black
Direction: North
Climate: Cold
Season: Winter
The Interrelationships of the Five Elements
Generating Sequence (Xiang Sheng)
Wood > Fire > Earth > Metal > Water
Restriction (controlling) Sequence (Xiang Ke )
Wood > Earth > Water > Fire > Metal
Subjugation (overacting) Sequence (Xiang Cheng )
Wood > Earth > Water > Fire > Metal
Reverse Restriction (Counteracting) Sequence (Xiang Wu )
Wood > Metal > Fire > Water > Earth
Explaining Pathological Changes
In chinese medicine theory there are five main organs, the Zang. If a disease affects one it may be transmitted to the others. It can be transmitted in one of two ways, by the Generation Sequence or the Restriction Sequence.
The Generation Sequence has two possibilities:
- The mother affects the child. The mother organ does not nourish the child organ. For example if the heart does not pump blood efficiently, the spleen will not have enough nutrients to function properly. Diseases where the mother affects the child are relatively mild.
- The child affects the mother. The child organ is taking too much nutrients from the mother. An example is if the lungs take too many nutrients from the spleen, the spleen will not have enough left to complete its job. Diseases where the child affects the mother are usually sever.
The Restriction Sequence also has two possibilities for transmission.
- Disorders due to subjugation are caused by excessive restriction. For example, if excessive liver qi conquers the spleen, the spleen becomes deficient and liver prevents its normal functioning. These types of diseases tend to be sever.
- Disorders due to reverse subjugation are caused restriction opposite from their normal direction. Normally the lung can not restrict the liver, but if it becomes diseased, it can under the principle of reverse restriction. Diseases of these types are usually mild.
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