Wu Xing
The Five Elements
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — every Bazi and Zi Wei Dou Shu reading is built on their generating and controlling cycles. Start from any element; it leads into the rest of your chart.
Wood
Mù · 木The generative, upward-growing force — vision, expansion, and the drive to begin.
Fire
Huǒ · 火The radiating, illuminating force — visibility, expression, warmth, and the willingness to burn.
Earth
Tǔ · 土The stabilising, gathering force — trust, belonging, accumulation, and the willingness to hold.
Metal
Jīn · 金The cutting, refining force — discipline, precision, decision, and the willingness to let things go.
Water
Shuǐ · 水The flowing, yielding, boundlessly adaptive force — intelligence, memory, depth, and the willingness to move around what blocks you.