Water (wuxing)
Classical elements |
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In Chinese philosophy, water (Chinese: 水; pinyin: shuǐ) Water is associated with winter, cold and the color black, the planet Mercury, the moon, night, the north, and the Black Tortoise (Xuan Wu) in the Four Symbols of Chinese constellations.
Attributes
In Chinese Taoist Wuxing thought, water is representative of intelligence, fidelity and wisdom, flexibility, softness, and pliancy; however, an overabundance of the element is said to cause difficulty in choosing something and sticking to it. In the same way, water can be fluid and weak, but can also wield great power when it floods and overwhelms the land. In Chinese medicine, water is believed to govern the kidney, the urinary bladder, fertiliity and jing. It is associated with the ears and bones. The negative emotions associated with water are fear and anxiety, and the positive emotions are fortitude and the virtue of wisdom;[1] the "soul" associated with water is zhi (志), meaning "will" or "determination."
Cycle of wuxing
- In the regenerative cycle of the wuxing, metal engenders water, as it traps falling water from a source, and water begets wood as "rain or dew makes plant life flourish".[citation needed]
- In the conquest cycle, water overcomes fire, as "nothing will put out a fire as quickly as water". Earth overcomes water as earth-built canals direct the flow, and soil absorbs water.[2]
References
- ^ Hicks, Angela; Hicks, John; Mole, Peter (2010). Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture. Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN 9780702044489.
- ^ Lau, Theodora (2005). The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes. London: Souvenir Press. pp. xxix–xxx.