Chinese Taoist culture boasts a profound and extensive history, being not merely a religion but a profound philosophy of life. Among its elements, the “Five Elements” and “Eight Characters” represent the most intriguing and relatable aspects of Taoist culture, serving as keys to unlocking the mysteries of both the self and the cosmic order. To comprehend the Five Elements and Eight Characters, one must first understand their origins within Chinese Taoist culture. Taoism stands as the most indigenous religion interwoven throughout Chinese civilisation.

As early as primitive society, people began to worship and revere all things in nature, ancestors, and spirits, which formed the origins of Taoism's polytheistic beliefs. By the Shang Dynasty, divination became widespread, with people communicating through shamans to predict fortune and misfortune. Concurrently, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the ‘Fangxian Dao’ (Way of the Immortals) emerged in the coastal regions of Yan and Qi. Practitioners proclaimed the existence of three sacred islands in the East Sea—Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou—inhabited by immortal beings who possessed eternal life. They actively pursued alchemical practices and qigong exercises in pursuit of longevity.

Meanwhile, Laozi and Zhuangzi founded Daoist philosophy. The concept of the Dao proposed in Laozi's Daodejing represents the primordial source and governing principle of all things in the cosmos, with their ideas providing the most fundamental philosophical foundation for Daoism. Moreover, towards the close of the Warring States period, the Yin-Yang school, represented by Zou Yan, synthesised ancient concepts of ‘Yin-Yang’ and the ‘Five Elements’ to formulate the ‘Five Virtues Cycle Theory’. This theory sought to explain the patterns of dynastic succession and natural transformation. This theoretical framework was later fully assimilated by Daoism, becoming a crucial theoretical framework for its interpretation of all things in the world.

By this stage, the rudiments of Daoism had largely taken shape. During the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han dynasty (c. 142 CE), Yu Ji promulgated the Taiping Jing, thereby establishing the foundational ideology of early Daoism. Amidst the turmoil of the late Han dynasty, Zhang Ling (also known as Zhang Daoling) founded the ‘Five Bushels of Rice Sect’ on Mount Heming in Shu territory. This sect required initiates to pay five bushels of rice, hence its name. It venerated Laozi as its supreme deity, adopted the Daodejing as its primary scripture, and practised healing through talismanic water and incantations, thereby establishing the earliest organised Taoist religious structure. Almost simultaneously, Zhang Jiao founded the ‘Taiping Dao’ sect, using the Taiping Jing as its scripture, and launched the renowned ‘Yellow Turban Rebellion’. This marked Taoism's formal transition from folk belief and philosophical thought into an organised, institutionalised religion.

It is precisely within this profound historical and cultural context that the Five Elements doctrine—central to Taoist cosmology—and the practice of Ba Zi destiny analysis—its embodiment of life philosophy—were systematically developed and transmitted to the present day.

I.  The Foundation of All Things: The Five Elements Theory

You may initially understand the “Five Elements” as an ancient Chinese theory of elements. The ancients believed that all things in the universe are composed of five fundamental elements (or energies) – metal, wood, water, fire, and earth – which exist in a relationship of mutual generation and mutual restraint.

Mutual Promotion：

Wood generates Fire: Burning timber produces fire.

Fire generates Earth: The ashes from burnt fire become earth.

Earth generates Metal: Metallic ores lie buried within the earth.

Metal generates Water: Metal melts into a liquid state.

Water generates Wood: Water irrigates trees, enabling their growth.

Mutual Constraint:

Wood restrains Earth: Tree roots can penetrate and stabilise soil.

Earth restrains Water: Soil can absorb and impede floods.

Water restrains Fire: Water extinguishes flames.

Fire restrains Metal: Fire melts metals.

Metal restrains Wood: Metal axes can fell trees.

A renowned mythological tale: Sun Wukong and the Five Elements Mountain in Journey to the West

In the classic novel Journey to the West, Sun Wukong caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, displaying supernatural powers that none could match. The gods of Heaven were utterly helpless, and ultimately summoned the Buddha Sakyamuni from the Western Heavens.

Sun Wukong challenged the Buddha to a wager, claiming he could leap a hundred thousand eight hundred li in a single somersault—more than enough to escape the Buddha's grasp. The Buddha readily accepted. Sun Wukong leapt with all his might until he saw five pillars, believing he had reached the edge of the heavens. To leave proof of his feat, he inscribed ‘The Great Sage Equal to Heaven has visited here’ upon the central pillar. Yet these five pillars were none other than the Buddha's own fingers. Sun Wukong had never left the Buddha's grasp. With a flick of his palm, the Buddha flung Sun Wukong beyond the Western Heaven's gates. His five fingers transformed into five mountain peaks representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, named the Five Elements Mountains. With a gentle press, they crushed Sun Wukong beneath their weight.

The allegorical significance of this tale in relation to the Five Elements lies in:

Symbols of the Five Elements: The Buddha's palm represents the fundamental laws of the cosmos and the Dharma Realm, while the Five Elements Mountains formed from his five fingers embody the concrete manifestation of these cosmic principles. Sun Wukong embodies humanity's “monkey mind”: the lawless, unrestrained arrogance and desires of the heart. However vast his supernatural powers may be, capable of defying all immortals and martial forces, he cannot escape the constraints and equilibrium of the five fundamental elements constituting the world: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. This illustrates that “all things exist within the Five Elements”, and every being must adhere to nature's laws.

The application of mutual generation and mutual restraint: Why was Sun Wukong unable to escape after being imprisoned for five hundred years? Because the Five Elements Mountain was no ordinary mountain; it was a perfect embodiment of the ‘Five Elements Cycle’. The text mentions that the Buddha affixed a scroll bearing the Six-Character Mantra atop the mountain. This scroll served as the pivotal mechanism sustaining the stable circulation of the Five Elements' energies, rendering the Five Elements Mountain a self-perpetuating, impenetrable seal from within. This vividly demonstrates the immense and stable energy generated by the mutual generation and restraint inherent in the Five Elements.

Ultimate Liberation: It was not until five hundred years later that Guanyin enlightened Sun Wukong, instructing him to await the arrival of Tang Sanzang. Tang Sanzang embodied a compassionate and steadfast positive conviction. By removing the scroll and disrupting the equilibrium of the Five Elements' energies (effectively breaking the seal), Tang Sanzang enabled Sun Wukong's liberation. This also serves as a metaphor: overcoming one's own restless mind requires not only external constraints (the laws of the Five Elements), but ultimately inner awakening and positive guidance.

II. The Eight Characters of Destiny

If the Five Elements are the universal language of the cosmos, then the Eight Characters are each individual's unique “life manual”.

What is the ‘Eight Characters’?

The “Eight Characters” is also known as “Four Pillars of Destiny”. Ancient Chinese employed the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches to record time (year, month, day, hour). A person's year, month, day, and hour of birth constitute four temporal points, each corresponding to one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch. These eight characters collectively form the “Eight Characters”.

The Relationship Between the Eight Characters and the Five Elements

Each of these eight characters corresponds to one or more attributes within the Five Elements. By analysing the strength, balance, and deficiencies of the Five Elements' energies within these eight characters, the ancients sought to interpret an individual's innate character, natural strengths, potential challenges, and even the general trajectory of their life's fortune.

A renowned historical figure: Qin Shi Huang and the Mandate of Heaven through the 'Virtue of Water'

The most renowned historical figure to apply the Five Elements theory to political practice was undoubtedly Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng. Not only did he unify the six states, but he also became the first emperor in Chinese history to systematically legitimise his regime through the doctrine of the Five Virtues.

Background: The Theory of the Five Virtues in Cycle

During the Warring States period, Zou Yan of the Yin-Yang school established the ‘Five Virtues Cycle Theory’. This theory posits that each dynasty corresponds to one of the Five Elements' virtues (attributes), with dynastic transitions following the laws of mutual restraint among the elements. For example:

The Emperor Shun belonged to the Earth Virtue.

The Xia Dynasty belonged to the Wood Virtue (Wood overcomes Earth, hence the Xia succeeded Shun).

The Shang Dynasty belonged to the Metal Virtue (Metal overcomes Wood, hence the Shang succeeded Xia).

The Zhou Dynasty belonged to the Fire Virtue (Fire overcomes Metal, hence the Zhou succeeded Shang).

Following this logic, that which could replace the Zhou Dynasty (Fire Virtue) must necessarily be the Water Virtue, capable of overcoming Fire.

Qin Shi Huang and the Virtue of Water：

After Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the realm, he sought a theoretical framework to demonstrate to all under heaven that the Qin dynasty's replacement of the Zhou was not merely a matter of military conquest, but rather the outcome of conforming to Heaven's mandate and adhering to the cosmic order. Zou Yan's theory of the Five Virtues perfectly met his requirements.

He commissioned scholars to conduct research, ultimately concluding that the Qin Dynasty corresponded to the element of water.

Thus, he undertook a series of unprecedented and profoundly significant institutional and cultural reforms, embedding the principle of “Water Virtue” into every corner of the Qin dynasty:

The colour black prevails: for the virtue of water corresponds to the colour black. Qin Shi Huang decreed that the imperial and official ceremonial robes, banners, and ceremonial flags should all be of the most revered dark black hue. This differs from the bright yellow traditionally associated with the imperial court.

Number Six: The number corresponding to the element of water is six. Thus, during the Qin Dynasty, standard measurements such as the length of official seals, the height of ceremonial caps, and the width of chariot carriages were all set at six cun; even the length of a single step was fixed at six chi. The empire was divided into ‘thirty-six commanderies’ (a multiple of six).

Political Style: Water governs the Yin, symbolising profound, cold, and severe penal laws. Qin Shi Huang emphasised governing through harsh laws and severe punishments, with statutes being exceptionally strict and devoid of benevolence or grace. While this undoubtedly reflected the influence of Legalist thought, it also aligned with the governing style associated with the ‘virtue of water’.

Renaming the river:To align with the virtue of water, he even renamed the Yellow River as the “River of Virtue”.

The meaning of this allusion lies in:

The Five Elements constitute a political philosophy: Qin Shi Huang's actions demonstrate that the doctrine of the Five Elements was far more than a mere tool for fortune-telling in its time, but rather a comprehensive political philosophy and cosmology. It served as the core theoretical framework through which rulers interpreted historical evolution, justified the legitimacy of their rule, and designed the state apparatus.

Mandate of Heaven: Ancient Chinese emperors were known as the Son of Heaven, believing that historical transformations were ordained by Heaven rather than merely the result of human agency.

The Integration of Theory and Reality: The swift demise of the Qin Dynasty also reflects how, in prolonged governance, the absence of harmonising elements (such as the earth's inclusiveness, the fire's warmth, and the wood's growth) may precipitate systemic collapse.

Thus, through the tale of Qin Shi Huang and the ‘Virtue of Water,’ we observe how the Five Elements doctrine played a pivotal role in Chinese history. It was not merely a facet of Taoist culture but formed the bedrock of state ideology, profoundly shaping every aspect of life from the highest nobility to the common populace. This narrative demonstrates the grand and far-reaching influence of the Five Elements theory far more effectively than mere fortune-telling.

III. The Five Elements and the Eight Characters in Daily Life

The wisdom of Taoist Five Elements and the Eight Characters ultimately aims to help us live better lives, rather than being superstition.

Self-harmonisation: Should an individual's birth chart indicate an excessively strong “Fire” element, this may predispose them to an impatient and quick-tempered disposition. Recognising this, they may consciously seek to regulate their temperament by engaging more frequently with activities associated with the “Water” element—such as meditation, swimming, or wearing water-attributed accessories—thereby cultivating greater inner calm.

Balancing Body and Mind: Traditional Chinese Medicine is also deeply rooted in the theory of the Five Elements. If weakness in the spleen and stomach corresponds to the “earth” element, a practitioner might advise reducing consumption of raw and cold foods (associated with water, as excess water weakens earth) and increasing intake of sweet, warming, and nourishing foods (to strengthen the earth element) for recuperation.

Nature: Ancient urban planning and architectural feng shui (such as the layout of the Forbidden City) emphasised the harmonious flow of the Five Elements' energies to achieve harmony between humanity and nature.

In summary, the Five Elements and Ba Zi culture of Daoism represent an ancient system employing a distinctive approach to comprehend the laws governing the world's operation and the trajectory of individual lives. It is imbued with Eastern philosophical wisdom and an exploratory spirit. We may regard it as a method for self-understanding, pursuing mind-body equilibrium, and harmonious coexistence with nature.