What are the relationships between the five elements?
The five elements interact with each other by ‘generating” or “conquering” one an other. The metaphor of generating and conquering was intuitive and the individual character was assigned to individual element base on the statistical experience of the generations of Ancient wisdom. (For your nerds out there, do not try to match these five elements with the periodic table.) The metal melts down and generates water. The water waters the wood and helps it grow. Wood burns and generates fire. The fire ends up as ash that generates earth. From the ore of the earth comes the metal. In the mean time, we can see that water will extinguish the fire. The earth can stop the water flow. The wood grows on earth and controls the earth under its roots. The metal tools cut the wood. The fire melts all the metal. The relationship of the five elements becomes more complicated and intriguing when you considering the secondary effect. For example, the water will kill the fire but it helps the wood to grow
