Yinyang is a very comprehensive and flexible thinking model. It transcends and permeates through all TCM viewpoints and definitely Wuxing (Five movements) model too, according to which the Xiang of a body is regarded as 5 Shu.
| Promoting | Controlling |
| Water promoting Wood | Water controlling Fire |
| Wood promoting Fire | Wood controlling Earth |
| Fire promoting Earth | Fire controlling Metal |
| Earth promoting Metal | Earth controlling Water |
| Metal promoting Water | Metal controlling Wood |
Wuxing Correlation Chart
This cycle can be explained most easily by a simple metaphor. The relationship is the same as a mother and child relationship, where the child is dependent upon the mother for nourishment and therefore growth and well-being. In order to understand the relationship better, it is connected to some phenomena in nature, such as wood can be burned into fire, after burning it becomes earth. The metal can be collected from earth, after be melted it becomes liquid shape, and again water can nourish wood/plants. However, this is a WRONG interpretation. Wuxing model has been wronged and greeted with cynicism and mechanical materialism due to the misunderstanding for hundreds of years. It’s a widespread mistake even a lot Chinese physicians would made.
In fact, Wuxing refers to five kinds of motion tendencies, five processes which occur in every living organisms, not five elements as generally translated. That’s why Wuxing is translated as “Five movements” instead of “Five elements” here. Essentially, the Wuxing cycle refers to a life process as grow, blossom, convert, contain and store, which every organism abides by. While the Chinese ancestors had made a nifty choose of five elements in nature to represent these five kinds of movements.
| spring | break thought the soil and sprout | growing | Wood |
| summer | blossom out and flourish | blossoming | Fire |
| autumn | fade out and bear fruits | Containing | Metal |
| winter | wither and store nourishments in roots for new year’s life | Storing | Water |
| The last 18 days of summer, as well as the last 18 days of other three seasons | convert and transit one movement to another | converting | earth |
The lifecycle of plants is very typical for understanding the five movements. The seeds break thought the soil and sprout in spring, which symbolize a process as growing, is indicated by Wood; blossom out and flourish in summer, which symbolize a force as blossoming, is indicated by Fire; fade out and bear fruits in autumn, which symbolize a force as Containing, is indicated by Metal; wither and store nourishments in roots for next year’s life in winter, which symbolize a force as storing, is indicated by Water. During the changes and links of the four kinds of movements, there is a force to convert and transit one to another, which is symbolized by earth.
Attention here, please, as space and time is inseparable connected to each other, all lifecycles are three-dimensional, therefore the Wuxing cycle is actually a swelling-and-shrinking process.
The same movements go for our bodies per day, per month, per year, as well as per lifespan. The same occurs on the earth daily, mensally, annually too. By the way, every kind of human civilization is no exception, in the very long run.
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