The Three Cycles and Eight Trigrams in Chinese Astrology

The Production, Controlling, and Weakening cycles between the five

elements

There are three major cycles between the five phases/elements: Productive,
Controlling, and Weakening:

1
Wood produces Fire, Fire produces Earth, Earth produces Metal, Metal produces
Water.

Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal,
Metal controls Wood.

Fire weakens Wood, Earth weakens Fire, Metal weakens Earth, Water weakens Metal,
Wood weakens Water.

Each of the five elements rules an emotion, viscera, five sense organ, a tissue, a
season, environmental factor, sound, colour, taste, direction.

The Eight Trigrams

The other major element in Chinese Metaphysics is called the Eight Trigrams. The 8
trigrams are:

 Qian/Heaven – element is (Yang) Metal

 Kun/Earth – element is (Yin) Earth
 Zhen/Thunder – element is (Yang) Wood
 Xun/Wind – element is (Yin) Wood
 Kan/Water – element is Water
 Li/Fire – element is Fire
 Gen/Mountain – element is (Yang) Earth
 Dui/Lake – element is (Yin) Metal

Here is how they are represented, keeping in mind that a full line is Yang/male, while
an interrupted line is Yin/female: