Five phases, or Wuxing, is one of the basic concepts used by the ancient Chinese along with Qi, Yin, and Yang, to explain natural phenomena. The term Wuxing, formerly translated as “Five Elements” is now rendered as “Five Phases”. The reason for such a rendering is simply that the term Wuxing in Chinese did not necessarily mean “Five Elements” as we understand them today but is a term which implies something dynamic, ever moving, and transforming in a regular pattern through the operation of Qi in nature.
Before we trace the origins and development of the Wuxing concept, we should bear in mind that early Chinese thought was perennially involved with the relationship of humanity and nature. Humans were seen to hold an integral but not an assertive place in nature. They had to understand nature and live harmoniously with it. To provide a rationale for it, Zou Zhuan (Master Zou’s Enlargement of the Spring and Autumn Annals) of the fifth century BCE says:
There are Six Qiin nature. When...
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Se, A.T. (2016). Five Phases (Wuxing). In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7747-7_9012
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