Theory of The Five Elements
In traditional Chinese art and culture, black, red, blue-green, white and yellow are viewed as standard colors. These colors correspond to the five elements of water, fire, wood, metal and earth, taught in traditional Chinese physics. Throughout the Shang, Tang, Zhou and Qin dynasties, China’s emperors used the Theory of the Five Elements to select colors.
| Movement | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Green | Red | Yellow | White | Black |
| Direction | east | south | center | west | north |
| Planet | Jupiter | Mars | Saturn | Venus | Mercury |
| Heavenly creature | Azure Dragon 青龍 |
Vermilion Bird 朱雀 |
Yellow Dragon 黃龍 |
White Tiger 白虎 |
Black Tortoise 玄武 |
| Heavenly Stems | 甲, 乙 | 丙, 丁 | 戊, 己 | 庚, 辛 | 壬, 癸 |
| Phase | New Yang | Full Yang | Yin/Yang balance | New Yin | Full Yin |
| Energy | Generative | Expansive | Stabilizing | Contracting | Conserving |
| Season | Spring | Summer | Change of seasons (Every third month) |
Autumn | Winter |
| Climate | Windy | Hot | Damp | Dry | Cold |
| Development | Sprouting | Blooming | Ripening | Withering | Dormant |
| Livestock | dog | sheep/goat | cattle | chicken | pig |
| Fruit | plum | apricot | jujube | peach | chestnut |
| Grain | wheat | beans | rice | hemp | millet |
Read more about this topic: Color In Chinese Culture
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