Earth (wuxing)

Classical elements
Hellenistic Air Water Aether Fire Earth
Hinduism / Jainism / Buddhism Vayu Ap Akasha Agni Prithvi
Chinese Wood (木) Water (水) Fire (火) Metal (金) Earth (土)
Japanese Wind (風) Water (水) Void (空) Fire (火) Earth (地)
European alchemy Air Water Fire Aether Earth Sulphur Mercury Salt
v t e

In Chinese philosophy, earth or soil (Chinese: 土; pinyin: tǔ) is one of the five concepts that conform the wuxing. Earth is the balance of both yin and yang in the Wuxing philosophy, as well as the changing or central point of physical matter or a subject.^[1] Its motion is centralising, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving.

Earth is associated with the colour yellow or ochre and the planet Saturn, and it lies at the centre of the four directions of the compass in Chinese cosmology. It is associated with late summer and the turn of each of the four seasons, as Earth is prone to being over burdened. Its climate is that of dampness causing the mind to be clouded through a deficiency of yang qi. In traditional Chinese medicine, earth governs the yin, Zang organ the spleen, and the yang, Fu organ stomach, mouth and muscles. Its Primal Spirit is the Yi, and emotion of happiness and is represented by the Yellow Dragon, color yellow and Golden (Sun).