The five elements: colours, shapes and relationship cycles

From the HUANGJUI Design archive

Interactions of the five elements

The archive treats five-element interactions as fundamental to Flying Star Feng Shui and the Chinese Eight Characters/Four Pillars system. Chinese thinkers classified things through wood, fire, earth, metal and water, considering energy movement, material, form and colour as aids to interpreting relationships and events.

Wood — rising energy

Colours

Dark green, light green and khaki

Shapes

Rectangles, tall rectangular forms and thick, long vertical lines

Water — downward-flowing energy

Colours

Light blue, blue, grey and black

Shapes

Waves, curves and thin lines

Fire — dispersing energy

Colours

Red, orange, purple and pink

Shapes

Triangles, pointed lines and sharp angles

Earth — centred energy

Colours

Brown, yellow, brick and cream

Shapes

Cubes and squares

Metal — rotating, penetrating energy

Colours

Gold, brass, silver, copper and white

Shapes

Circles, ovals and semicircles

The generating or nourishing cycle

Water generates wood

The archive explains this through water sustaining life and the first life on Earth arising in water.

Wood generates fire

Wood serves as fuel for fire, and wood can burn.

Fire generates earth

In the original analogy, burned or decomposed material returns to earth rather than disappearing.

Earth generates metal

Minerals, including gold and diamonds, are found in the ground.

Metal generates water

The archive uses solid material becoming liquid as an analogy, giving melting ice as an example.

In this model, the giving element weakens while the receiving element strengthens. Water nourishing wood is depleted as wood grows; wood feeding fire is consumed as the fire intensifies.

The controlling cycle

Water controls fire

Water can extinguish fire or prevent it spreading.

Fire controls metal

Fire or heat melts metal and other solids into liquid.

Metal controls wood

Metal tools cut trees and wood.

Wood controls earth

Wood draws nutrients necessary for growth from the soil.

Earth controls water

Earth is used to build barriers and dams that retain water.

The relative amounts matter in the original controlling model: too little water may fail to put out a fire; a suitable amount controls its spread; substantially more water can extinguish it.