Five Elements Lookup Table

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Published: 2026/01/15 Author: yifan Source: network

Five Elements (Wu Xing) Chart

Year of Jia Zi: Sea Gold (1924, 1984); Year of Yi Chou: Sea Gold (1925, 1985)

Year of Bing Yin: Furnace Fire (1926, 1986); Year of Ding Mao: Furnace Fire (1927, 1987)

Year of Wu Chen: Great Forest Wood (1928, 1988); Year of Ji Si: Great Forest Wood (1929, 1989)

Year of Geng Wu: Pathside Earth (1930, 1990); Year of Xin Wei: Pathside Earth (1931, 1991)

Year of Ren Shen: Sword-Edge Gold (1932, 1992); Year of Gui You: Sword-Edge Gold (1933, 1993)

Year of Jia Xu: Mountain Top Fire (1934, 1994); Year of Yi Hai: Mountain Top Fire (1935, 1995)

Year of Bing Zi: Stream Water (1936, 1996); Year of Ding Chou: Stream Water (1937, 1997)

Year of Wu Yin: City Wall Earth (1938, 1998); Year of Ji Mao: City Wall Earth (1939, 1999)

Year of Geng Chen: White Wax Gold (1940, 2000); Year of Xin Si: White Wax Gold (1941, 2001)

Year of Ren Wu: Willow Wood (1942, 2002); Year of Gui Wei: Willow Wood (1943, 2003)

Year of Jia Shen: Spring Water (1944, 2004); Year of Yi You: Spring Water (1945, 2005)

Year of Bing Xu: Roof Earth (1946, 2006); Year of Ding Hai: Roof Earth (1947, 2007)

Year of Wu Zi: Thunder Fire (1948, 2008); Year of Ji Chou: Thunder Fire (1949, 2009)

Year of Geng Yin: Pine and Cypress Wood (1950, 2010); Year of Xin Mao: Pine and Cypress Wood (1951, 2011)

Year of Ren Chen: Flowing Water (1952, 2012); Year of Gui Si: Flowing Water (1953, 2013)

Year of Jia Wu: Sand and Stone Gold (1954, 2014); Year of Yi Wei: Sand and Stone Gold (1955, 2015)

Year of Bing Shen: Hillside Fire (1956, 2016); Year of Ding You: Hillside Fire (1957, 2017)

Year of Wu Xu: Level Land Wood (1958, 2018); Year of Ji Hai: Level Land Wood (1959, 2019)

Year of Geng Zi: Wall Earth (1960, 2020); Year of Xin Chou: Wall Earth (1961, 2021)

Year of Ren Yin: Thin Gold (1962, 2022); Year of Gui Mao: Thin Gold (1963, 2023)

Year of Jia Chen: Covered Lamp Fire (1964, 2024); Year of Yi Si: Covered Lamp Fire (1965, 2025)

Year of Bing Wu: Heavenly River Water (1966, 2026); Year of Ding Wei: Heavenly River Water (1967, 2027)

Year of Wu Shen: Great Road Earth (1968, 2028); Year of Ji You: Great Road Earth (1969, 2029)

Year of Geng Xu: Ornamental Gold (1970, 2030); Year of Xin Hai: Ornamental Gold (1971, 2031)

Year of Ren Zi: Mulberry Tree Wood (1972, 2032); Year of Gui Chou: Mulberry Tree Wood (1973, 2033)

Year of Jia Yin: Large Stream Water (1974, 2034); Year of Yi Mao: Large Stream Water (1975, 2035)

Year of Bing Chen: Sandy Earth (1976, 2036); Year of Ding Si: Sandy Earth (1977, 2037)

Year of Wu Wu: Heavenly Fire (1978, 2038); Year of Ji Wei: Heavenly Fire (1979, 2039)

Year of Geng Shen: Pomegranate Wood (1980, 2040); Year of Xin You: Pomegranate Wood (1981, 2041)

Year of Ren Xu: Great Sea Water (1982, 2042); Year of Gui Hai: Great Sea Water (1983, 2043)

Yin-Yang and the Five Elements

The order of the Five Elements' generation is: Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal.

The order of the Five Elements' control is: Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, and Fire controls Metal.

Five Elements' Generation:

Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal. Metal generates Water: When metal melts, it produces water; Water generates Wood: Water nourishes wood; Wood generates Fire: The dryness of wood produces fire; Fire generates Earth: Fire burns wood to produce earth; Earth generates Metal: Earth contains minerals that produce metal.

Meanings of the Five Elements' Generation:

Metal generates Water — Because the yin energy (metal energy) is warm and moist, metal relies on water to generate. Also, melting metal can become water, so metal generates water.

Water generates Wood — Because water is moist and allows trees to grow, water generates wood.

Wood generates Fire — Because wood is warm, fire is hidden within it. Drilling wood creates fire, so wood generates fire.

Fire generates Earth — Because fire is hot, it can burn wood, which turns into ashes (earth), so fire generates earth.

Earth generates Metal — Because metal needs to be hidden in rocks and rely on mountains, it is formed by moisture and accumulation. Mountains have stones, so earth generates metal.

Five Elements' Control:

Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, and Fire controls Metal.

Meanings of the Five Elements' Control: This is because of the nature of heaven and earth. Many overcome few, so water overcomes fire; essence overcomes strength, so fire overcomes metal; firmness overcomes softness, so metal overcomes wood; focus overcomes dispersion, so wood overcomes earth; reality overcomes emptiness, so earth overcomes water.

Firmness overcomes softness, so metal overcomes wood; because a knife can cut down trees;

Focus overcomes dispersion, so wood overcomes earth; because trees can stabilize loose earth;

Reality overcomes emptiness, so earth overcomes water; because embankments can stop water;

Many overcome few, so water overcomes fire; because large amounts of water can extinguish fire;

Essence overcomes strength, so fire overcomes metal; because intense fire can melt metal.

Metal depends on earth for its origin, but too much earth buries metal; Earth depends on fire for its origin, but too much fire dries up earth; Fire depends on wood for its origin, but too much wood makes fire fierce; Wood depends on water for its origin, but too much water causes wood to float; Water depends on metal for its origin, but metal is just right?

Metal can generate water, but too much water submerges metal; Water can generate wood, but too much wood restricts water; Wood can generate fire, but too much fire burns wood; Fire can generate earth, but too much fire dims the earth; Earth can generate metal, but too much earth weakens metal.

Metal can control wood, but strong wood damages metal; Wood can control earth, but heavy earth breaks wood; Earth can control water, but excessive water erodes earth; Water can control fire, but intense fire scorches water; Fire can control metal, but excessive fire extinguishes metal.

If metal is weak and meets fire, it will surely melt; if fire is weak and meets water, it will surely be extinguished; if water is weak and meets earth, it will surely be blocked; if earth is weak and meets wood, it will surely collapse; if wood is weak and meets metal, it will surely be cut down.

A strong metal requires water to temper its sharpness; a strong water requires wood to slow its flow; a strong wood requires fire to release its vitality; a strong fire requires earth to contain its flames; a strong earth requires metal to transform its stubbornness.

Nayin Five Elements: The Five Elements evolved and had more detailed classifications, leading to the emergence of the Nayin Five Elements:

Nayin Five Elements Table = Jia Zi and Yi Chou: Sea Gold; Bing Yin and Ding Mao: Furnace Fire; Wu Chen and Ji Si: Great Forest Wood; Geng Wu and Xin Wei: Pathside Earth; Ren Shen and Gui You: Sword-Edge Gold; Jia Xu and Yi Hai: Mountain Top Fire; Bing Zi and Ding Chou: Stream Water; Wu Yin and Ji Mao: City Wall Earth; Xin Si and Ren Wu: White Wax Gold; Gui Wei and Jia Shen: Willow Wood; Yi You and Bing Xu: Well Water; Ding Hai and Wu Zi: Roof Earth; Ji Chou and Geng Yin: Thunder Fire; Xin Mao and Ren Chen: Pine and Cypress Wood; Gui Si and Jia Wu: Flowing Water; Yi Wei and Bing Shen: Sand and Stone Gold; Ding You and Wu Xu: Hillside Fire; Ji Hai and Geng Zi: Level Land Wood; Xin Chou and Ren Yin: Wall Earth; Gui Mao and Jia Chen: Thin Gold; Yi Si and Bing Wu: Covered Lamp Fire; Ding Wei and Wu Shen: Heavenly River Water; Ji You and Geng Xu: Great Road Earth; Xin Hai and Ren Zi: Ornamental Gold; Jia Chou and Yi Yin: Mulberry Tree Wood; Bing Mao and Ding Chen: Large Stream Water; Wu Si and Ji Wu: Sandy Earth; Geng Wei and Ren Shen: Heavenly Fire; Xin You and Gui Xu: Pomegranate Wood; Ren Hai and Gui Zi: Great Sea Water.

Nayin refers to "the sixty Jiazi nayin, originally the sixty laws" (Wan Mingying's "San Ming Tong Hui"); "Nayin means the five tones of palace, shang, jue, zhi, and yu, which are in harmony with the natural changes" (Xu Leyu's "Zi Ping Cui Yan").

The first Jiazi year: According to Chinese history, the earliest confirmed year is 841 BC, which was the Geng Shen year. In 837 BC, it was the Jia Zi year. Although the origin of the heavenly stems and earthly branches system is even earlier, with records in oracle bone inscriptions, there is no exact record of its starting point. The Five Elements were a simple and abstract way for ancient people to understand the world, with high generality. Based on the principle of "heaven-human resonance," the Five Elements became the theoretical foundation for various schools of Zhouyi techniques.

Relationships Between the Five Viscera

(1) Generation among the Five Viscera: Liver generates Heart, which is Wood generating Fire, such as liver storing blood to nourish the heart; Heart generates Spleen, which is Fire generating Earth, such as the yang energy of the heart can warm the spleen; Spleen generates Lung, which is Earth generating Metal, such as the spleen's transformation of food essence can benefit the lung; Lung generates Kidney, which is Metal generating Water, such as the clear and descending function of the lung provides fluid to the kidney; Kidney generates Liver, which is Water generating Wood, such as the kidney storing essence to nourish the liver's yin and blood, etc.

(2) Control among the Five Viscera: Lung (Metal) regulates the upward movement of liver (Wood), i.e., Metal controls Wood; Liver (Wood) regulates the stagnation of spleen (Earth), i.e., Wood controls Earth; Spleen (Earth) prevents the overflow of kidney (Water), i.e., Earth controls Water; Kidney (Water) controls the excessive heat of the heart (Fire), i.e., Water controls Fire; Heart (Fire) controls the excessive cold of the lung (Metal), i.e., Fire controls Metal.

However, it must be noted that the Five Elements theory to explain the balance relationship between the internal organs has certain limitations. This is because the Five Viscera correspond to the Five Elements only by extracting part of their characteristics, and the Five Elements cannot explain all phenomena in the world, only some relationships.

Interactions Among Visceral Diseases

(1) Mother disease affecting child: The mother organ becomes diseased first, then affects the child organ.

(2) Child disease affecting mother: The child organ becomes diseased first, then affects the mother organ. In this case, the condition is generally more severe.

(3) Over-control: That is, excessive control. It may be due to the controller being too strong or the controlled being too weak. In such cases, the condition tends to be severe.

(4) Counter-control: That is, insufficient control, resulting in being controlled in return. It may be due to the controlled being too strong or the controller being too weak.

Relationships Between the Five Viscera and Seasons

Wood corresponds to spring, fire to summer, earth to late summer, metal to autumn, and water to winter. During each season, the corresponding organ bears a heavier burden, while the one it generates receives nourishment. For example, liver diseases are common in spring because spring is wood generating fire, placing a heavy burden on the liver. At the same time, since wood generates fire (heart), emotions tend to be cheerful.

Relationships Between the Strength of the Five Viscera and Personality

In terms of personality, if the Five Elements' generation and control are unbalanced, excessive fire without restraint leads to impatience and lack of patience. Excessive water without restraint leads to intelligence but weak willpower, and also restlessness. Excessive wood without restraint leads to deep feelings and kindness. Excessive metal without restraint leads to efficiency and sharpness. Excessive earth without restraint leads to kindness and tranquility. Of course, even in such cases, personality balance can still be achieved through self-control in later life.

Correspondences Between the Five Elements and the Human Body

The Five Elements represent five attributes: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. They are abstract concepts and should not be understood as specific things. Five is a universal number, representing five fingers, five senses, five viscera, five tastes, etc. Many things can be classified into five categories.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the Five Elements describe the functions and relationships of the five visceral systems (liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney). Note that these five viscera are functional concepts (called zang xiang) and are not limited to the anatomical five viscera.

Wood – growth, regulation, gentleness, and smoothness

Fire – warmth, ascension, and brightness

Earth – transformation, bearing, and reception

Metal – cleanliness, clarity, and contraction

Water – coldness, moisture, and downward movement

Things in the same element are mutually responsive, but excess is harmful. For example, anger harms the liver. Fan Jin's success in the imperial examination is a typical example of joy harming the heart. Additionally, appropriate sweet taste can strengthen the spleen, but excessive sweetness can cause stagnation in the stomach and spleen.

Generation and Control Relationships of the Five Elements

Solid lines represent generation; dashed lines represent control.

Generation refers to one thing promoting, supporting, and nurturing another. (For convenience of description, the generator is called the mother, and the generated is called the child.) Control refers to one thing having an inhibitory and restraining effect on another. Generation and control are normal phenomena in nature. Without generation, there would be no development; without control, there would be excessive power causing harm. Both are important, do not think generation is good and control is bad. Gigantism is an example of lack of control in growth.

Generation and control are two inseparable aspects. Without generation, there would be no occurrence and growth of things; without control, there would be no balance and coordination in the development and change of things.