Major Point Shean M.

Chang
• Commentary
o History November 10, 2009

Page |1

ABSTRACT

DISCUSSION OF THE FIVE PHASES & FIVE PENTATONIC NOTES

The theory of the Five Phases (‘Wu Xing’ 五行, also known as Five Elements) is deep-rooted
rooted in Chinese
medicine. However, there exist inconsistency and limitation in the application of the theory to medicine
(Notes 1 and 2). This paper is to review the history of the Five Phases theory, examine its limitation, and
provide additional insight
ght by analyzing the closely related Five Pentatonic Notes (‘Wu Yin’ 五音).
closely-related

FIVE PHASES

o The earliest reference to the Five Phases appeared in the

he ‘Great Plan’ section of the ‘Book of
th
Documents’ (Shu Jing, c. 4 century B.C.). It states:

‘Of 水
Of the five phases, the first is WATER ; the second FIRE 火; the third, WOOD 木; the
金
fourth, METAL ; and the fifth, EARTH .’ 土
This is known as the ‘Cosmogoni
Cosmogonic sequence’.

o The Five Phases were also called 5 ‘Abilities’, ‘Talents’ or ‘Materials’ (cai, 材). One book in the
Warring States period (476--221 B.C.) says,

‘Heaven sends the Five Abilities (Talents or Materials) and the people use them’.

o The Five Pentatonic Notes that correspond to the Five Phases are:

D#, Water C#, Fire A#, Wood G#, Metal F#, Earth
La 1 So 2 Mi 3 Re 4 Do
5

Figure 1 The Earliest Five Phases with Corresponding Five Pentatonic Notes

• It is interesting to note that the Cosmogonic sequence of the Five Phases agrees with the
Bible in that the world begins with water:

Genesis 1:2 ‘The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.’

Major Point Shean M. Chang
• Commentary
o History November 10, 2009

Page |2

• The order of the phases (1 for Water, 2 for Fire … 5 for Earth) coincides mysteriously with
that of the pitch of corresponding pentatonic notes: D# (La) the highest, C# (So) the 2nd, A#
(Mi) the 3rd, G# (Re) the 2nd lowest and F# (Do) the lowest. This is a movement down the
pentatonic scale and it signifies creation descends from the highest frequency – that of
Water to the lowest – that of Earth, like rain precipitating downward from heaven. The Five
Pentatonic Notes is believed by some people to be the natural precursor of the Five Phases.

o The Five Phases theory was systemized by Zou Yan (305-240 B.C.) when he proposed a ‘Five
Virtue Cyclic Sequences of Ends and Beginning’, i.e., the controlling sequence of the Five Phases:

水 virtue
WATER

FIRE
土 virtue
EARTH
火 virtue

木 virtue 金 virtue
WOOD METAL

Figure 2 The Controlling Sequence of the Five Phases

o Liu Xiang (77-6 BCE) and his son Liu Xin advocated a generating sequence of the Five Phases:

水 virtue
WATER

金 virtue 木 virtue
METAL WOOD

FIRE
土 virtue
EARTH
火 virtue

Figure 3 The Generating Sequence of the Five Phases


Major Point Shean M. Chang
• Commentary
o History November 10, 2009

Page |3

• Both the controlling and the generating sequences have a wide application in Chinese
medicine. While the controlling Five Phases theory has received criticism such as from a
respectable scientist and scholar in the Han dynasty, consistency doses not always prevail in
the generating theory, either. Water generates Wood, Fire generates Earth and Earth
generates Metal as nature seemingly allows. Wood, however, does not readily catch Fire.
Wood needs to be drilled to generate fire or to be ignited by thunder, for example. Lastly,
Metal will only melt into liquid under a high temperature and high pressure condition.

FIVE PENTATONIC NOTES

o The Yellow Emperor’s pentatonic scale consists of musical notes related by perfect fifths (the
most harmonious of all musical intervals) which confers health and tranquility on all beings
coming in contact with it (Note 3). When arranged in a circle of ascending fifths to fashion the
‘Five Virtue Cyclic Sequences of Ends and Beginning’, the Five Pentatonic Notes are in the
following order:

F#
C#
F

A# G#
D#
Figure 4 Five Pentatonic Notes in Ascending Perfect Fifths

• Inconsistency becomes apparent in above circle of fifths because the end fails to meet the
beginning. The interval between notes A# and F# is not a perfect fifth, rather it is an
augmented fifth, i.e., a fifth plus half a step or one semitone. The perfect fifth above A# is F.

The inconsistency, however, may only be a superficial observation. An in-depth analysis

from this work has revealed that an F# lies 8 (perfect) fifths above A#. This F# is 7 octaves
above the beginning F# in the circle of fifths. Figure 5 depicts a brand new presentation of
the circle of fifths for the Five Pentatonic Notes:

Major Point Shean M. Chang
• Commentary
o History November 10, 2009

Page |4

p5th

F# C#
p5th
F#
8 x p5th G#
A# p5th
p5th

D#
Figure 5 Five Pentatonic Notes in a Circle of Fifths where the interval between A# and the ending F# is 8 perfect fifths.

(Note: the ending F# is 7 octaves above the beginning F#)

In such an arrangement, the Five Pentatonic Notes, which are closely connected to the Five
Phases, fit the model of Zou Yan’s ‘Five Virtue Cyclic Sequences of Ends and Beginning’.
Interestingly, 8 is the number of ‘new beginning’, therefore, the ending F#, 8 perfect fifths
above A#, can be a new beginning F# of the next cycle. Also, 7 is the number of ‘completion’.
Since the ending F# is 7 octaves above the beginning F#, this means the completion of a
cycle.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

• The Five Phases and the corresponding Five Pentatonic Notes theory are not flawless.
However, they are not unscientific superstition, either. The theory should be applied with
discretion to medicine. A mechanical fit of the theory to reality should be avoided.

Note 1: Ted J. Kaptchuk, “The Web That Has No Weaver”, Criticism of Five Phases Theory, p. 351.

Note 2: Giovanni Maciocia, “The Foundations of Chinese Medicine”, The System of Correspondences in 5-Element Physiology, p.
25.

Note 3: “Acutone, A New System of Healing Based on the Ancient Science of Sound”, Dean Lloyd, John Pirog, P. 6-11. The ‘Book
th
of Master Guan’ (Guan Zhi, c. 4 century B.C.) said that the Yellow Emperor’s pentatonic scale was created by a process called
‘generation by the fifth’ from the fundamental note ‘Gong’. The frequency of Gong is the Yellow Bell (Huang Zhong) pitch, the
fundamental frequency of the earth, which comes from a pitch-pipe of 81 fen long and corresponds to F# to G# in the modern
scale.