Five Elements

Question 1

List 4 translations of ‘wu xing’.

Answer 1

• 5 elements
• 5 phases
• 5 agents
• five activities

Question 2

What dynasty do the first references of Yin and Yang and 5 Element Theory date back to?

Answer 2

Zhou Dynasty (1000-771 BCE)

Question 3

What were ‘the Six Seats of Government’?

Answer 3

water, fire, metal, wood, earth, grain

Question 4

What shift in paradigm are the theories of Yin-Yang and 5 Elements representative of?

Answer 4

• shift from view of disease as being caused by evil spirits, to naturalistic view of disease as being caused by lifestyle/nature

Question 5

What number is associated with earthly and heavenly phenomena?

Answer 5

Earthly: 5 (5 elements)
Heavenly: 6 (6 climates)

Question 6

“that which blazes upwards is bitter”

Answer 6

fire

Question 7

“that which can be bent ans straightened is sour”

Answer 7

wood

Question 8

“that which soaks and descends is salty”

Answer 8

water

Question 9

“that which can be moulded and become hard is pungent”

Answer 9

metal

Question 10

“that which permits sowing and reaping is sweet”

Answer 10

earth

Question 11

Describe the directions of the 5 Elements

Answer 11

• Water: flows downwards
• Fire: blazes upwards
• Wood: expands/flows freely in every direction
• Metal: contraction (controls the skin which contains the body)
• Earth: point of reference (stability, in centre)

Question 12

List the 5 Elements Yin/Yang organ pairings.

Answer 12

Fire: Heart, Pericardium (Yin); Small Intestine, Triple Energizer (Yang)
Water: Kidneys (Yin); Bladder (Yang)
Wood: Liver (Yin); Gall Bladder (Yang)
Metal: Lungs (Yin); Large Intestine (Yang)
Earth: Spleen (Yin); Stomach (Yang)

Question 13

List the 5 Elements and their seasons.

Answer 13

• Fire, summer
• Metal, autumn
• Water, winter
• Wood, spring
• Earth, last 18 days of every season/ Indian Summer

Question 14

What numbers pair with each element?

Answer 14

• water: 1, 6
• fire: 2, 7
• wood: 3, 8
• metal: 4, 9
• earth: 5, 10

Question 15

What is the Generating sequence?

Answer 15

Fire - Earth - Metal - Water - Wood

Question 16

What is the Controlling (and Over-Acting) Sequence?

Answer 16

Wood - Earth - Water - Fire - Metal

Question 17

What is the Insulting Sequence?

Answer 17

Fire - Water - Earth - Wood - Metal

Question 18

True or False: The ‘Grandparent’ Element relates to the Controlling and Over-Acting Sequence.

Answer 18

True

• the grandparent controls the child
• the parent generates the child
• the child insults the grandparent

Question 19

Which organs are ‘Minister Fire’, and which are ‘Emperor Fire’?

Answer 19

• Emperor Fire = Heart, Small Intestine

- Minister Fire = Pericardium, Triple Energizer (serve and protect Heart)

Question 20

Which organs generate which?

Answer 20

Heart - Spleen - Lungs - Kidneys - Liver

Question 21

Which organs control which?

Answer 21

Heart - Lungs - Liver - Spleen - Kidneys

Question 22

Which organs insult which?

Answer 22

Heart - Kidneys - Spleen - Liver - Lungs

Question 23

List the elements and their corresponding colours.

Answer 23

Fire = red
Earth = yellow
Metal = white/silver/grey
Water = black/dark blue
Wood = green

Question 24

List the tastes/elements.

Answer 24

Fire = bitter
Earth = sweet
Metal = pungent
Water = salty
Wood = sour

Question 25

List the climates/elements.

Answer 25

``` Fire = heat Earth = dampness Metal = dyness Water = cold Wood = wind ```

Question 26

List the stages of development/elements.

Answer 26

``` wood = birth fire = growth earth = transformation metal = harvest water = storage ```

Question 27

List the planets/elements.

Answer 27

``` Wood = Jupiter Fire = Mars Earth = Saturn Metal = Venus Water = Mercury ```

Question 28

List the sense organs/elements.

Answer 28

``` Wood = eyes Fire = tongue Earth = mouth Metal = nose Water = ears ```

Question 29

List the tissues/elements.

Answer 29

``` Wood = sinew Fire = vessels Earth = muscles Metal = skin Water = bones ```

Question 30

List the emotions/elements.

Answer 30

``` Wood = anger Fire = joy Earth = pensiveness/overthinking Metal = Grief/Sadness Water = Fear ```

Question 31

List the sounds/elements.

Answer 31

``` Wood = screaming Fire = laughing Earth = singing Metal = crying Water = groaning ```

Question 32

List the animals/elements.

Answer 32

``` Wood = fish Fire = birds Earth = humans Metal = mammals Water = shell-covered ```

Question 33

List the domestic animals/elements.

Answer 33

``` Wood = Sheep Fire = Fowl Earth = Ox Metal = Dog Water = Pig ```