The 5 Elements of the Chinese Zodiac
Inter-relationship and interaction between the elements
The elements – Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth – are an integral part of the Chinese Zodiac which define a universal balance. All things arise from and return to the earth – when we study the Zodiac, it’s important for us to bear the elements in mind, as every one of us are made up of these elements and are deeply connected to them.
Since the 5 elements are components of the Earth, they are all interdependent. Each element is controlled by another, while at the same time, each element brings about another. This indicates that each element has its own equal strength and weakness, and they have equal influence over each other.
The Generating Cycle: How One Element Creates Another
From Metal we get Water, from Water we get Wood, from Wood we get Fire, from Fire we get Earth and from Earth we get Metal:
Metal (in the form of a container) holds Water
Water (as a nourishing element), helps to grows Wood
Wood is burnt to create Fire
Fire burns every other element down into Earth
Metal is extracted from the Earth
The Controlling Cycle: How One Element Controls Another
Fire controls Metal, Water controls Fire, Earth controls Water, Wood controls Earth and Metal controls Wood:
Fire melts Metal into liquid
Water extinguishes a Fire
Earth absorbs and directs the flow of Water
Wood (as roots of a tree) holds the Earth together or breaks it apart
Metal, as axes, cuts down trees into Wood.
THE 5 ELEMENTS
The Animals and the Elements
Each of the 12 animal signs within the Chinese zodiac is associated with one of the five elements. This is known as the fixed element of the sign:
|
Metal |
Earth |
Fire |
Wood |
Water |
|
Monkey Rooster |
Ox Sheep Dog |
Snake Horse |
Tiger Rabbit Dragon |
Rat Pig |
Then, each animal sign is further divided into the five elements, depending on the year that the sign occurs. E.g.:
- Metal Horse (1930, 1990)
- Earth Horse (1918, 1978)
- Fire Horse (1966, 2026)
- Wood Horse (1954, 2014)
- Water Horse (1942, 2002)
Each of the five elements occurs within each animal sign occurs once every 12 years. Therefore, each specific animal-element combination – e.g. the Fire Ox – repeats once every 60 years.
A person’s characteristics are determined both by the ruling element of their sign as well as the element of that particular year that they are born. E.g. A Water Rooster will be controlled by both Water and Metal.
Click here to read each of the 12 Lunar Animals influenced by each of the 5 elements:
Rat
Ox
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
Horse
Sheep
Monkey
Rooster
Dog
Pig
Or read by element type:
How to work with the elements
If a family or any working team is fortunate enough to have all five elements within its members, it is said that they would then enjoy a lot of harmony. The presence of all five elements within one unit creates an overall balance and each element would “generate” – or support – the other.
One of the best ways we can make use of these interactions is at the workplace. Study the Controlling Interactions to determine who you would be able to lead well and harmoniously; and examine the Generating Interactions to see who would support you well. For example, if you are a leader of a company and are looking to hire people to work under you, it would be good for you to find people of signs that are “controlled” by you. E.g. If you are a Fire sign (Snake or Horse), you would find it best to employ people of a Metal sign (Rooster or Monkey). From studying the generating interactions, you would find good support in people born under the Wood sign (Tiger or Rabbit)
The Characteristics of each Elements
Metal (金)
Those born under the Metal element will have the following characteristics:
- Ambitious and very success driven
- Competitive
- Good leadership qualities
- Fiercely independent
- Determined and driven
- Not easily swayed or influenced by others
- Not easily discouraged by failure or rejection
- A fighter who will not back down
- Handles difficulties head-on, preferably on their own
- Disciplined and focused
- Often spiritual, holding high morals and high standards
- Strong instincts when dealing with monetary aspects
Weaknesses:
- Opinionated
- Non-expressive, or expressive only to a certain limit
- Can be very stubborn and unreasonable (especially if things are not to their expectation)
- Susceptible to being merciless and unkind
- Unafraid to cut ties with those who fail to conform to their expectations or hold opposing views
Earth (土)
Those born under the Earth element will have the following characteristics:
Strengths:
- Naturally organized and effective planners
- Serious and practical
- Analytical
- Good insight to situations
- Keep things as factual as possible, they rarely dramatize their findings
- Approach things in a logical manner
- Hard-working
- Wise and intelligent
- Natural entrepreneurs
- Very good at handling money
- Disciplined, reliable and stable
- Very responsible
- Able to fully utilize their resources to bring out successful results
- Trusting, loyal and honest
- Good at nurturing others
Weaknesses:
- Conservative and reserved
- Overprotective
- Obstinate
- Miserly
- Like to “play it safe”; not very adventurous; don’t like to take risks
- Unimaginative
- Boring
Fire (火)
Those born under the Fire element will have the following characteristics:
- Spontaneous
- Versatile
- Charismatic and attractive
- Commanding presence
- Highly intelligent and knowledgeable
- Passionate and enthusiastic
- Positive
- Ambitious and self-motivated
- Adventurous, thrill seekers
- Likes a challenge and driven by risk
- Expressive and has dynamic speech
- Motivators, likely to inspire others to action
- Creative, innovative
- Decisive
- Born to be leaders
Weaknesses
- Dislikes being alone, and may seek for attention
- Restless and impatient
- Insensitive and inconsiderate of others
- Can be manipulative
- Susceptible to mood swings
- Too aggressive and dominating
- Impulsive and volatile
- Tendency to rush into things without thinking
Wood (木)
Those born under the Wood element will have the following characteristics:
Strengths:
- Warm and sociable
- Innately kind and compassionate
- Altruistic, empathetic and sensitive to others
- Understanding
- Ethical, has high morals
- Self-confident
- Finds it easy to make friends
- Generous; finds it easy to share
- Adaptable
- Diplomatic
- Co-operative, able to work well with others
- Socially-conscious
- Good at prioritizing and categorizing their work
- Practical and organized
- Always keen to grow
Weaknesses
- Tendency to overcommit; do not know their limits or boundaries
- Can quit things easily
- Too passive
- Indecisive, fickle
- Can tend to waste money
Water (水)
Those born under the Water element will have the following characteristics:
Strengths
- Diplomatic, good communicators
- Influencers
- Observant and very aware
- Open minded
- Empathetic, sensitive to other’s feelings
- Good counselors
- Pacifist, will make good meditators
- Tend to have good memory
- Persistent and determined
- When they feel fear, they are able to hide their feelings
- Meticulous
- Able to identify projects with big potential, to bring great results
- Resilience
- Able to exert a lot of effort and hard work
- Intuitive and flexible
- Soft-hearted and gentle
Weaknesses
- May be susceptible to being self-centered
- Self-indulgent
- Indecisive
- Rely too much on others for support
- Too passive
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
I always wondered why the things between the person I love wouldn’t work out, turns out both of them were sheep iron element. And I as a monkey wood element am not compatible with them.
How’s the monkey associated as a metal element ?
like anyone who’s born in 1992 would be a water monkey.. How do you explain water monkey being associated with a metal fixed element ?
It should be a water element right ??
please clear that up
Kuzuzangpola Rinpoche la,
I just want to know how will my daughter and mine relation la about? i mean are we going to leave happily or not la..She is born on February 9th 2016 means rooster and me rat of 1984 13th October..Actually am worried that how we will be leaving in future coz her father and me are already divorced. And i even want to know the how will be their relation statues in future and her father is also rooster la. Please let me know la coz really want to come out of all this going on in my mind….Please help.
unisa
Dear Tsem Rinpoche,
I am trying to understand something about the fixed elements as I have seen in various other sources on the internet (e.g. Wikipedia) a difference with the table on this site.
Some inform that the fixed sign of the Dragon is Earth whereas Earth is the element linked to the last month of the yearly seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter.
From that it would make sense that each element; Water, Wood, Metal and Fire have two signs of influence and Earth have four signs of influence.
Was is also puzzling is why the table of fixed elements on this site shows three signs to Earth and Wood, but then is there a reason for that?
Please I hope you can tell me more about it so I have a better understanding.
Many thanks in advance.
Kindest regards,
Rob
Tashi delek rinpoche,
I am rabbit with a element wood.my present girlfriend is sheep with element sheep.do u think we can marry.there parents are looking weather we can marry or not.
And please rinpoche I m pemba n I m zodiac rabbit with element wood.can I apply for us in the coming August 2016.please help me if not than what kind of prayer I need to do.
Your student
Pemba tshering sherpa
Thanks for article.
Hi I appreciate the detail of characteristics per element. I have a question in regards to relationship balance…
The patriarch is an Earth Horse whereas the latter is an Wood Rat. I’ve read much about how they are quite opposite and considered enmities, however, is there an element or recommendation how to harmonize or at least make the relationship better between these two?
Thank you for any knowledge.
Thank you for you clear explanations Rinponche.
My understanding of the 5 elemenets greatly imporved 🙂
I’m the Water Horse my elements Water and I’m a Horse And it fits!
[…] Características e relações dos 5 elementos (em inglês) […]
[…] element every 12 years. Visit HanBan for a great summary of the Year of the (Wooden) Horse. Click here for more information about the […]
Rempoche..me a fire snake and just wanted to know how I ll doing here after..especially this year la..
When 2 people are snakes (1953 and 1965) and one is water and the other fire, can they be good business partners? Please respond. Thank you
It is amazing how everything is connected. There is one that generates the other. If they do not generate, they are capable of extinguishing. I am under the sign of the cow and my fixed element is Earth. I find it very true as I am very boring and I like avoiding risks. However, I cannot say the same with many others who are born in my year as some of them are extremely brave and rash in their behavior.
Dear RIMPOCHE LA,
FYAPULLO…. I m a rat born in sheep hour i wnt to knw abt my future as during ma past years i have faced so many ups n downs n i hav a daughter also i m a divorce n m worried abt ma n ma daughter lyf i wud b grateful if u wud tell me.
thank u
This is an interesting post – I am of the earth element and it’s pretty accurate!!! I must work on the weaknesses eg become less boring and more adventurous hahaha!
After reading the above post, I realise that I haven’t fully explored the full potential inside me, if what have been stated above is accurate and true.. haha..and if I had, I would be a very very successful person in terms of actualising whatever goals and targets that I wish to achieve in this life 😀
Dear Rinpoche, thank you for sharing 😀 May you have long healthy life, be surrounded by sound and enthusiastic students, and may all your dharma activities be spread to the 100 directions benefiting all sentient beings 😀
everything links together, creating harmony by knowing what each elements entails. i always like this 5 elements very much as it mostly accurate to understand oneself, and to understand others using it. Thank You Rinpoche.
Thank you Rinpoche.
Love this one :
Wood (as roots of a tree) holds the Earth together or breaks it apart…
晕死了！ 太准确啦！弱点太吓人了
哇哇哇。。很清楚又详细的解释，又再一次让我们彻彻底底的认清自己以及身边的人，该如何的去和别人相处，这样可以解决人与人之间的相处问题。
感恩仁波切的分享让我们受益良多。