A Short Lecture of The Theory of Five-Elements

The Theory of Five-Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) existed in the history of Chinese for thousands of years. It was found by observing nature, and it is used in many different fields of applications. It is a theory of relation as well as philosophy. It is as mysterious as our nature, but it is as practical as fundamental of math.

In the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it used to categorize functions of our internal organs. How it works and how it related to one another. For example, the liver is denoted as “Wood (or trees, the living wood)” by having the similar properties of synthesis, the tendency of growth and regeneration. The colour of the liver is green (not the physical colour, but the energy signature). On the other hand, our stomach and spleen are denoted as the Earth (or Soil). Having the colour of yellow as our soil, its main functions are to digest foods and extract nutrients for the trees and plants (Liver for synthesis) to grow. According to the theory of the Five-Elements, Wood restrict Earth, as the roots of trees prevent soil from erosion.

Besides restricting, other relations amount the five elements is called generating such as, wood generates fires. (It is a pretty obvious relation seen in nature) To summarize it, the Five-Element is a holistic view of our internal organics, which its functions are depending on the others. It can also be used for the logistic of diagnose and treatment selections.