A room of Water · 水

Water's two cycles

shēng and kè

Water is fed by Metal (金生水), it feeds Wood (水生木), it controls Fire (水克火), and it is controlled by Earth (土克水). Those four relationships are how you strengthen a weak Water or calm a flooding one.

Feeding and draining

To strengthen a weak Water, add its mother, Metal, which condenses and sources it. To drain an overfull Water, let it pour into its child, Wood, which it nourishes. This is the generating cycle, 相生 (xiāng shēng).

Holding in check

To calm an excessive Water, add its controller, Earth, the bank and dam that hold water in its course. Water in turn keeps Fire from running to excess. 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 Water sits

Leave Water in any direction