Attribution of Things to The Five Elements

Man lives in nature. The natural environment, such as weather changes and geographic conditions, greatly influences his physiological activities. This fact is manifest in man’s dependence on the environment, but also in his adaptability to the environment. This is known as correspondence between man and nature. Proceeding from this recognition, traditional Chinese medicine comprehensively connects the physiology and pathology of the zang-fu organs and tissues with many important natural environmental factors. These factors are classified into five categories on the basis of the five elements. Similes and allegories are used to explain the complicated links between physiology and pathology as well as the correlation between man and the natural environment. The following table shows the five categories of things classified according to the five elements.

Promoting here implies promoting growth. The order of promoting is that wood promotes fire, fire promotes earth, earth promotes metal, metal promotes water, and water in turn promotes wood. In this inter-promoting relation of the five elements, each is in the position of “being promoted” and of “promoting”, the promoting element being thought of as the “mother” and the promoted element as the “son”, forming what is known as the “mother-son” relationship. Wood for example is promoted by water, which is the “mother” of the wood, while fire is the “son” of the wood, being promoted by wood.

Acting here connotes bringing under control or restraint. In the inter-acting relation of the five elements, the order is that wood acts on earth, earth acts on water, water acts on fire, fire acts on metal, and metal in turn acts on wood. In this relationship, each of the five elements occupies the position of “being acted on” and “acting on”. Wood for example is acted upon by metal, while it acts on earth.

The Five Elements – The Theory

The theory of the five elements holds that wood, fire, earth, metal and water are basic materials constituting the material world. There exists among them an interdependence and inter-restraint which determines their state of constant motion and change.

The theory of the five elements basically explains the inter-promoting, inter-acting, over-acting and counter-acting relationship among them. Its application to traditional Chinese medicine is in classifying into different categories natural phenomena plus the tissues and organs of the human body and the human emotions and interpreting the relationship between the physiology and pathology of the human body and the natural environment with the law of the inter-promoting, inter-acting, over-acting and counter-acting of the five elements. This theory is used as a guide in medical practice.

Yin - Yang and The Five Elements

The theories of yin-yang and the five elements were two kinds of outlook on nature in ancient China. They involved a naïve concept of materialism and dialectics and actively promoted natural science in China. Ancient physicians applied these two theories in their field, which greatly influenced the formation and development of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine and have guided clinical work up to the present.

The theory yin-yang holds that every object or phenomenon in the universe consists of two opposite aspects, namely, yin and yang, which are at once in conflict and in interdependence; further, that this relation between yin and yang is the universal law of the material world the principle and source of the existence of myriads of things, and the root cause for the flourishing and perishing of things.

The theory of yin-yang mainly expounds the opposition, interdepending, inter-consuming-supporting and inter-transforming relation of yin and yang. These relationships between yin and yang are extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine to explain the physiology and pathology of the human body and serve as a guide to diagnosis and treatment in clinical world.