CH 2.2: Five Element Theory Flashcards
(41 cards)
What does the term ‘Wu Xing | 五行’ mean in Chinese?
‘Wu | 五’ refers to five categories of natural elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. ‘Xing | 行’ means movement and change. Together, ‘Wu Xing’ describes the dynamic interactions and transformations of these five elements.
Why were the five elements originally called ‘five materials’ (五材)?
The five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—were recognized as essential materials in human life during ancient Chinese practices.
How does the Five Elements Theory explain the movement and change of all things in nature?
It abstracts the attributes of the five materials to explain their inter-promotion and inter-restriction, describing the dynamic balance of material movement in nature.
How are Qi, Yin-Yang, and the Five Elements connected?
Qi is the material basis of all things and divides into Yin and Yang through its movement. The interaction of Yin and Yang produces the Five Elements, which constitute all substances in the universe.
What are the primary characteristics of wood?
- Wood can bend and straighten (木能曲直).
- Represents growth, flexibility, and upward and outward movement.
- Symbolizes reproduction and vitality.
What are examples of things classified as wood?
Wind, spring, the liver, gallbladder, tendons, and the eyes.
What are the primary characteristics of fire?
- Fire burns and flares up (火更炎上).
- Represents warmth, heat, and upward movement.
- Signifies yang energy and flourishing activity.
What are examples of things classified as fire?
Heat, summer, the heart, small intestine, vessels, and the tongue.
What are the primary characteristics of earth?
- Earth provides for sowing and reaping (土予稼禳).
- Represents stability, nourishment, and transformation.
- Functions as a foundation for all elements, carrying and generating life.
What are examples of things classified as earth?
Dampness, late summer, the spleen, stomach, flesh, and the mouth.
What are the primary characteristics of metal?
- Metal works for change (金说从革).
- Represents hardness, transformation, and purification.
- Symbolizes clarity, descending, and contracting properties.
What are examples of things classified as metal?
Dryness, autumn, the lungs, large intestine, skin, and the nose.
What are the primary characteristics of water?
- Water moistens and flows downward (水能润下).
- Represents cold, moistening, and storage.
- Signifies yin energy and downward movement.
What are examples of things classified as water?
Cold, winter, the kidneys, urinary bladder, bones, and the ears.
What is the order of promotion among the five elements?
Wood promotes fire, fire promotes earth, earth promotes metal, metal promotes water, and water promotes wood.
What is the ‘mother-child’ relationship in the Five Elements Theory?
The element promoting another is the ‘mother.’ The element being promoted is the ‘child.’
How does ‘mother-child’ influence manifest in the human body?
For example, kidney-water (mother) nourishes liver-wood (child), supporting its growth and vitality.
What is the order of restriction among the five elements?
Wood restricts earth, earth restricts water, water restricts fire, fire restricts metal, and metal restricts wood.
Why are promotion and restriction both necessary?
- Promotion ensures the growth and development of things.
- Restriction prevents over-exuberance and maintains harmony.
How do promotion and restriction balance each other?
They ensure dynamic equilibrium in nature and the human body by facilitating growth while controlling excess.
What are the two types of abnormal promotion?
- Involvement of the child by its mother (母病及子): A disorder in the mother element affects the child element (e.g., kidney-water deficiency leading to liver-wood deficiency).
- Involvement of the mother by its child (子病及母): A disorder in the child element affects the mother element (e.g., liver-wood excess causing kidney-water depletion).
What are the two types of abnormal restriction?
- Over-acting (相乘): An element excessively restricts its target (e.g., wood over-controls earth).
- Insulting (相侮): An element reversely restrains the one that originally restricts it (e.g., earth insulting wood).
How are over-acting and insulting related?
When over-acting occurs, insulting often follows. For example, if wood excessively restricts earth, earth may insult wood.
How does abnormal promotion or restriction impact health?
It leads to pathological changes, disrupting the harmony among the five Zang organs and causing diseases.
