Learn the Chinese Five Elements

The generating cycle runs Wood to Fire to Earth to Metal to Water, then back to Wood. In Wood generates Fire, Wood is the source and Fire receives. To find what generates Wood, look one step back to Water.

The controlling relationships are Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, and Metal controls Wood. They describe restraint within the traditional model. Identify the source before the target. One controlling relationship cannot establish the quality of a whole chart.

The ten heavenly stems form five element pairs. Jia and Yi are Wood; Bing and Ding are Fire; Wu and Ji are Earth; Geng and Xin are Metal; Ren and Gui are Water. In each pair, the first is yang and the second yin. Jia is yang Wood and Yi is yin Wood.

This site's mapping assigns blue-green and green to Wood; red, purple and pink to Fire; yellow, brown and beige to Earth; white, gold and silver to Metal; and black, blue and gray to Water. Wood materials include wood and jadeite; Metal includes gold, silver and platinum. Use the finished item's color, then its material. This is a cultural matching convention. Color alone cannot identify a mineral or establish a health effect.

For generating, read Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. For controlling, read Wood, Earth, Water, Fire, Metal. Both cycles return to Wood.

Classifications vary between traditions. This course uses the site's published mapping, considering the finished item's color before its material.

Missed questions return at the end and become due in ten minutes. Correct answers move to review intervals of one, three, seven days and longer. First-answer accuracy keeps the original result. You can return to due questions after completing the course.

Both languages share progress, first-answer results and review dates in this browser. A different device or cleared site data starts a new record. Practice is free and needs no account.