[ **up: [[Philosophy, Chinese]]** ] --- # *Wuxing* (Chinese philosophy) The Five Agents are: - [[Fire (Wuxing)|Fire]] - [[Water (Wuxing)|Water]] - [[Wood (Wuxing)|Wood]] - [[Metal (Wuxing)|Metal]] - [[Earth (Wuxing)|Earth]] --- [[2024-0607. Water means soaking downward; Fire means flaming upward; Wood means bending and straightening; Metal means conforming and changing; Earth means accepting seed and giving crops.|Water means soaking downward; Fire means flaming upward; Wood means bending and straightening; Metal means conforming and changing; Earth means accepting seed and giving crops.]][^1] --- ## English translation [[2024-0607. The Chinese five phrases (wuxing) was translated into 'five elements' incredibly poorly by Jesuits trying to portray them as approximations to Europe's scholastic four elements.|The Chinese five phrases (wuxing) was translated into 'five elements' incredibly poorly by Jesuits trying to portray them as approximations to Europe's scholastic four elements.]][^2] --- ### Five Elements Theory (*Wuxing*) [[The Five Elements Theory is a complex philosophical system that “divides everything in the world into five categories, each possessing different characteristics.”|The Five Elements Theory is a complex philosophical system that 'divides everything in the world into five categories, each possessing different characteristics.']][^3] [[The Five Elements Theory is a complex philosophical system that “divides everything in the world into five categories, each possessing different characteristics.”|’It was first formalized in the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history—a period that gave rise to iconic philosophers like Confucius and Laozi—and would go on to become the foundation of many disciplines including Daoism, Chinese philosophy, astrology, Feng Shui and more.’]][^4] --- ### Chinese calendar [[2025-0314. 'In addition to the cycle of 12 zodiac animals, each year is also assigned one of five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water.'|'In addition to the cycle of 12 zodiac animals, each year is also assigned one of five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water.']][^5] [[2025-0314. 'On top of this cycle of zodiac elements, each zodiac sign also has a fixed association with one of the elements and is thought to possess the same defining characteristics of the element.'|'On top of this cycle of zodiac elements, each zodiac sign also has a fixed association with one of the elements and is thought to possess the same defining characteristics of the element.']][^6] #### For example [[2025-0314. 'On top of this cycle of zodiac elements, each zodiac sign also has a fixed association with one of the elements and is thought to possess the same defining characteristics of the element.'|’To resume with our example of the current year: someone born in 2024 is thought to have Wood characteristics—creative, stubborn and competitive—because Tigers are associated with the fixed element of Wood. Simultaneously, because 2024 is the year of Wood, the 2024 Tigers are also thought to be defined by introspection and empathy—characteristics associated with the Wood element, which someone born in 1998 or 2010 would not possess.’]][^7] > ### Zodiac Fixed Element Chart > > |Fixed Element|Zodiac Sign| > |---|---| > |Wood|[Tiger](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/tiger/), [Rabbit](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rabbit/)| > |Fire|[Snake](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/snake/), [Horse](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/horse/)| > |Earth|[Ox](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/ox/), [Dragon](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/dragon/), [Goat](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/goat/), [Dog](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/dog/)| > |Metal|[Monkey](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/monkey/), [Rooster](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rooster/)| > |Water|[Pig](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/pig/), [Rat](https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rat/)| > > [^8] --- ### Interactions between the Elements [[2025-0314. Interactions between the Elements – Generating (Positive) and Overcoming (Negative).|'A final dimension in the system of elements is the interaction between them, which can be classified as either positive “generating” or negative “overcoming.”']][^9] [[2025-0314. Interactions between the Elements – Generating (Positive) and Overcoming (Negative).|’This idea is based on how different elements react to each other in nature. It originates in Chinese philosophy and its way of thinking of the world as a web of interconnectedness.’]][^10] ![[Wikimedia Commons - Wu Xi - by Parnassus - 23 September 2023 - licenced Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.png]] Diagram of the interactions between the wuxing. The “generative” cycle is illustrated by grey arrows running clockwise on the outside of the circle, while the “destructive” or “conquering” cycle is represented by red arrows inside the circle. Diagram by Parnassus ([CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)).[^11] #### ‘Generating’ interactions (Positive) > - Wood feeds Fire > > - Fire creates Earth > > - Earth engenders Metal > > - Metal holds Water > > - Water nourishes Wood.[^12] [[2025-0314. Interactions between the Elements – Generating (Positive) and Overcoming (Negative).|’When two people of generating elements come together, both are likely to thrive with unprecedented vitality, like one plus one equals three.’]][^13] #### ‘Overcoming’ interactions (Negative) > - Wood splits Earth > > - Earth stops Water > > - Water extinguishes Fire > > - Fire melts Metal > > - Metal chops Wood.[^14] [[2025-0314. Interactions between the Elements – Generating (Positive) and Overcoming (Negative).|’This is a very bad aspect for marriage, and something that the matchmakers especially advised against. A marriage of overcoming elements will be full of dissatisfaction and marital strife.’]][^15] [^1]: Nathan Sivin & G. E. R. Lloyd, ‘[[Sivin & Lloyd. ‘Why Wasn’t Chinese Science about Nature_ With A Discussion of Nature in Ancient Greece and Comparisons’, 2023.|Why Wasn't Chinese Science about Nature? With a Discussion of Concepts of Nature in Ancient Greece and Comparisions]]’, *The Way and the Word*, last updated 7 September 2003, https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~nsivin/wayword.html. [^2]: Nathan Sivin & G. E. R. Lloyd, ‘[[Sivin & Lloyd. ‘Why Wasn’t Chinese Science about Nature_ With A Discussion of Nature in Ancient Greece and Comparisons’, 2023.|Why Wasn't Chinese Science about Nature? With a Discussion of Concepts of Nature in Ancient Greece and Comparisons]]’, *The Way and the Word*, updated 7 September 2003, https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~nsivin/wayword.html. [^3]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^4]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^5]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^6]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^7]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^8]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^9]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^10]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^11]: Parnassus, ‘Wu Xing’, *Wikimedia Commons*, 23 September 2013, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wu_Xing.png. Licenced: [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0). [^12]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^13]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^14]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/. [^15]: Sophie Song, ‘The 5 Zodiac Elements: How to Find Yours and What it Means’, *[[Astrala. 'Chinese New Year' (Website)|Chinese New Year]]*, updated 27 September 2024, https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/five-elements/.