Zodi Animal· The Elements· Metal 金· Metal's two cycles

A room of Metal · 金

One of the five phases behind your Primal Zodiac Animal

Metal's two cycles

shēng and kè

Metal is fed by Earth (土生金), it feeds Water (金生水), it controls Wood (金克木), and it is controlled by Fire (火克金). Those four relationships are how you feed a weak Metal or temper a hard one.

Feeding and draining

To strengthen a weak Metal, add its mother, Earth, from which ore is born, 培土生金. To drain an overfull Metal, let it pour into its child, Water, which it carries. This is the generating cycle, 相生 (xiāng shēng).

Holding in check

To calm an excessive Metal, add its controller, Fire, which melts and reforges it. Metal in turn keeps Wood from running to excess by cutting and pruning it. When a phase grows too strong the balance can distort into over-control (相乘) or rebellion (相侮), which is why the aim is always proportion, not dominance.

Where Metal sits

Leave Metal in any direction

The five phases are one lens on your Zodi Animal, the creature you get when your Western Sun sign crosses your Chinese zodiac year.