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Five Elements Chart & Body Clock
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Traditional Chinese Medicine
Five Elements Chart & Body Clock
| Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water | |
| Orientation | East | South | Middle | West | North |
| Season | Spring | Summer | Late Summer | Autumn | Winter |
| Climate | Wind | Summer Heat | Dampness | Dryness | Cold |
| Cultivation | Germinate | Grow | Transform | Reap | Store |
| Yin Organ | Liver | Heart | Spleen/Pancreas | Lung | Kidney |
| Yang Organ | Gall Bladder | Small Intestine | Stomach | Large Intestine | Bladder |
| Orifice | Eye | Tongue | Mouth | Nose | Ear |
| Tissues | Tendons | Vessels | Muscles | Skin & Hair | Bones |
| Emotions | Anger | Joy | Love | Grief | Fear |
| Body Fluid | Tears | Sweat | Saliva | Mucus | Urine |
| Color | Blue/Green | Red | Yellow | White | Black |
| Taste | Sour | Bitter | Sweet | Pungent | Salty |
| Voice | Shout | Laugh | Sing | Cry | Groan |
| Shape | Rectangle | Triangle | Square | Round | Curve |
| Grain | Wheat | Beans | Rice | Corn | Millet |
| Mental Quality | Sensitivity | Creativity | Clarity | Intuition | Spontaneity |
| Finger | Index | Middle | Thumb | Ring | Little |
| Sense | Sight | Speech | Taste | Smell | Hearing |
| Smell | Rancid | Scorched | Fragrant | Rotten | Putrid |
| Life | Birth | Youth | Adulthood | Old Age | Death |
The doctrine of five phases describes two cycles of interactions between the phases. These cycles are a generating or creation cycle, also known as "mother-son" and an overcoming or destruction cycle, also known as "grandfather-nephew".
Generating
The common memory jogs, which help to remind in what order the phases are:
- Wood feeds Fire;
- Fire creates Earth (ash);
- Earth bears Metal;
- Metal carries Water (as in a bucket or tap, or water condenses on metal);
- Water nourishes Wood.
Also:
- Wood absorbs Water;
- Water rusts Metal;
- Metal breaks up Earth;
- Earth smothers Fire;
- Fire burns Wood.
Other common words for this cycle include "begets", "engenders" and "mothers."
Overcoming
- Wood parts Earth (such as roots; or, Trees can prevent soil erosion);
- Earth absorbs (or muddies) Water (or Earth dam controls the water);
- Water quenches Fire;
- Fire melts Metal;
- Metal chops Wood.
This cycle might also be called "controls", "restrains" or "fathers".
