Oriental wood is lighter in color; The fire in the south is red; The soil in the center is yellow; The gold in the west is white, while the water in the north is black. Wood, Qinglong, due east, cyan. Fire, phoenix, due south, red. Water, Xuanwu location, due north, black. Gold, white tiger, due west, white. Earth, Huanglong position, central position, yellow.

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Five elements, also known as the theory of five elements, is the basic way to understand the world. Through the evolution of Yin and Yang, the meaning of the five elements contains five basic trends: gold (for convergence), wood (for growth), water (for infiltration), fire (for disillusionment) and earth (for integration). Ancient philosophers in China used the theory of five elements to explain the formation of all things in the world and their relationships.

Five elements of traditional Chinese medicine

The five elements refer to the five mechanisms of wood, fire, earth, gold and water. It is an abstract concept used to explain the relationship between things, which has a wide meaning, not just five specific substances themselves. The theory of five elements generalizes the attributes of things or phenomena by the functional attributes of five mechanisms, and discusses and deduces the mutual relationship and movement change law between things or phenomena by mutual gestation and mutual restriction.

The center of five zang-organs belongs to fire, lung belongs to gold, liver belongs to wood, spleen belongs to soil, and kidney belongs to water. Everything that has the function or property of growth, ascent and smoothness belongs to wood; The mechanism of temperature, temperature or sex belongs to fire; The mechanism of fertility, biochemistry and acceptance belongs to soil; The mechanism of clearing, descending and converging belongs to gold; There are cold, moist and healthy mechanisms, all of which belong to water.

The theory of five elements explains the relationship between things with the relationship between the five elements, and holds that nothing is isolated and static, but maintains a harmonious balance in the constant movement of the elements.

The application of this theory in traditional Chinese medicine is mainly to analyze and study the viscera, meridians and physiological functions of the human body according to the characteristics of the five elements, and explain their mutual influence under pathological conditions. Therefore, the theory of five elements is not only a theoretical explanation in traditional Chinese medicine, but also has practical significance in guiding clinical practice.

Since ancient times, China sages have skillfully applied the theory of five elements to the medical field, understood and explained physiological phenomena with the dialectical relationship between the five elements, tried their best to conform to the inherent natural laws for health preservation, and tried their best to master the operating mechanism of the human body to prevent and treat diseases, and achieved unparalleled experience and achievements.