The five elements (Wu Xing)
In Chinese thought, everything is made of five elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, which feed and balance each other in two great cycles. Here is how they work and how they appear on the Starlight wheel.
The full deep dive
Five phases, not five substances
The Chinese term Wu Xing is often translated as “five elements”, but “five phases” or “five movements” is closer. They describe how energy changes, the way the seasons turn from one to the next.
| Element | Season | Direction | Colour | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood 木 | Spring | East | Green | growth, kindness, vision |
| Fire 火 | Summer | South | Red | warmth, passion, joy |
| Earth 土 | Turn of each season | Centre | Yellow | balance, care, stability |
| Metal 金 | Autumn | West | White | clarity, focus, letting go |
| Water 水 | Winter | North | Black and blue | wisdom, rest, flow |
The feeding cycle
Each element nourishes the next:
Wood feeds Fire (wood burns) → Fire makes Earth (ash) → Earth bears Metal (ore in the ground) → Metal carries Water (condensation on cold metal) → Water nourishes Wood (plants drink).
The controlling cycle
Each element also keeps another in check:
Wood breaks up Earth (roots) · Earth dams Water · Water puts out Fire · Fire melts Metal · Metal cuts Wood.
Neither cycle is good or bad. Feeding without control runs wild; control without feeding withers. Balance needs both.
On the Starlight wheel
The four seasons sit around the edge of the wheel: Water (winter) covers the Pig, Rat and Ox; Wood (spring) the Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon; Fire (summer) the Snake, Horse and Goat; Metal (autumn) the Monkey, Rooster and Dog. Earth has no season of its own; it sits at the turn of each season, in the Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog.
Your elements
Every animal has a fixed element, and every year has its own year element. See Year elements and the 60-year cycle.
Sources and perspectives
- Derek Walters, The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology
- Theodora Lau, The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes