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water feature in Old Towne. Photo by Elaine A. Russell
Water (Wu Xing)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Water (
Chinese: 水;
pinyin: shuǐ), is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage.
[1] Water is the fifth one of
Wu Xing.
Water is
yin in character, its energy is downward and its motion is stillness and conserving. It is associated with the planet
Mercury, the north, winter and cold, darkness, night and the colour black. It is also associated with the
moon, which was believed to cause the dew to fall at night. It is also believed to govern the kidneys, ears and bones. The negative emotion associated with water is fear, while the positive emotion is calmness. Its Primal Spirit is represented by the Black Tortoise.
In Chinese
Taoist thought, water is representative of intelligence and wisdom, flexibility, softness and pliancy; however, an over-abundance 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 the birth and nurturing cycle, water spawns
wood, and is spawned by
metal. In the conquest cycle, water overcomes
fire, and in turn is overcome by
earth.