Five Elements (Five Phases)

Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire as manifestations ("phases" or "transformations") of chi. The expression "five elements" derives from two Chinese words: wu ("five") and xing ("move" or "walk"). Its implicit meaning is "five processes." According to ancient Chinese cosmology, the Five Elements compose everything. In Chinese medicine, each of the Five Elements symbolizes a group of physiologic functions: "Earth" (soil) represents balance or neutrality; Metal (coal, fossils, and inorganic matter), decay; Water (moisture), a state of maximum rest leading to a change of functional direction; Wood (organic matter), a growth phase; and Fire (gases), maximum activity.