Concept
Five elements
五行wu xing
2 sources
In Chinese medicine, the five phases (wu xing): wood, fire, earth, metal and water, together with the interactions among the five categories of phenomena they represent. The Neijing names them (五行者，金木水火土也) and applies their mutual generation and restraint to explain the relationships among the zang-fu organs, the seasons, and the course and prognosis of disease.
Source
Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor)《素问·藏气法时论》（内经选读下篇·哲学思想·阴阳五行·原文1216；锚定界定句『五行者，金木水火土也』）
References
- 《内经》五行论散见多篇综合理解（藏气法时论/阴阳应象大论/金匮真言论等）
- WHO IST-TCM 2022 术语对齐（WGM2# 28 Five elements）
Full definition
Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.
五行者，金木水火土也
Citations
- Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) · 托名黄帝/岐伯（先秦—西汉医家辑） · 《素问·藏气法时论》（内经选读下篇·哲学思想·阴阳五行·原文1216；锚定界定句『五行者，金木水火土也』）Cited from Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) for its definition.
- WHO international standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine · World Health Organization · WHO IST-TCM 2022, WGM2# 28 (§1.2 五行类)Cited from WHO international standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine for its standardized terminology.