Five Element Theory

Yin YangYin and Yang are two Chinese words to explain the duality of the universe. Yin, meaning moon, soft, dark, yielding, etc. Yang, meaning sun, hard, light, overpowering, etc. Some say that yin and yang or opposites but they cannot exist without each other. They are both interdependent, and conflicting. The relationships between yin and yang are used in traditional Chinese medicine to explain the physiology and pathology of the human body. Yin and yang are also used as a guide in diagnosis and treatment of patients.

The Five Element Theory teaches that the material world is made up of 5 basic elements which are, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. We can adapt to the environment, but we're also dependent on it. The Five Element Theory has a generation cycle and a destruction cycle. Wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood.

Each of the five elements has a relationship the internal organs. (The pericardium is the membrane that surrounds the heart and is not considered an organ in western medicine. The triple heater or san jiao is also not an organ, but a function.

Five Elements

Wood

  1. Yin organ - liver
  2. Yang organ - gall bladder
  3. Season - Spring
  4. Weather - wind
  5. Color - green
  6. Direction - east
  7. Emotion - anger
  8. Sound - shout
  9. Flavor - sour
  10. Sense organ - eyes
  1. Sense commanded - sight
  2. Controls - muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments,brain
  3. Expands into - nails
  4. Liquid emitted - tears
  5. Smell - rancid
  6. Developement - birth
  7. Grain - wheat
  8. Meat - fowl
  9. Martial art movement - retreat
  10. Weapon - staff

Earth

  1. Yin organ - spleen
  2. Yang organ - stomach
  3. Season - late summer
  4. Weather - humid
  5. Color - yellow
  6. Direction - center
  7. Emotion - saddness
  8. Sound - sing
  9. Flavor - sweet
  10. Sense organ - mouth
  1. Sense commanded - taste
  2. Controls - fat and flesh
  3. Expands into - lips
  4. Liquid - saliva/spinal fluid
  5. Smell - fragrant
  6. Development - transformation
  7. Grain - rye
  8. Meat - ox/beef
  9. Martial arts movement - center, balance
  10. Weapon - hand

Water

  1. Yin organ - kidney
  2. Yang organ - Urinary bladder
  3. Season - winter
  4. Weather- cold
  5. Color - black
  6. Direction - north
  7. Emotion - fear
  8. Sound - groaning
  9. Flavor - salty
  10. Sense organ - ears
  1. Sense commanded - hearing
  2. Controls - bones
  3. Expands into - head hair
  4. Liqud emitted - urine
  5. Smell - putrid
  6. Development - storing
  7. Grain - bean
  8. Meat - pork
  9. Martial arts movement - gaze left
  10. Weapon - sword

Fire

  1. Yin organ - heart/small intestine
  2. Yang organ - pericardium/triple heater
  3. Season - summer
  4. Weather - heat
  5. Color - red
  6. Direction - south
  7. Emotion - joy
  8. Sound - laughter
  9. Flavor - bitter
  10. Sense organ - tongue
  1. Sense commanded - speech
  2. Controls - blood vessels/vascular system
  3. Expands into - complexion
  4. Liquid emmitted - sweat
  5. Smell - scorched
  6. Development - growth
  7. Grain - millet
  8. Meat - lamb
  9. Martial arts movement - gaze right
  10. Weapon - spear

Metal

  1. Yin organ - lung
  2. Yang organ - colon
  3. Season - fall
  4. Weather - dryness
  5. Color - white
  6. Direction - west
  7. Emotion - grief
  8. Sound - weep
  9. Flavor - pungent
  10. Sense organ - nose
  1. Sense commanded - smell
  2. Controls - skin and hair
  3. Expands into - body hair
  4. Liquid emitted - mucous
  5. Smell - rank
  6. Develpoment - harvest
  7. Grain - rice
  8. Meat - horse
  9. Martial arts movement - advance
  10. Weapon - knife