Five-elements colours (wuxing)
The Chinese scheme linking five colours with five elements, directions and seasons.
Also: wuxing, five phases, five colours
In Chinese thought, wuxing describes five phases through which all things move: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each is paired with a colour, a direction and a season. Wood goes with a blue-green called qing, the east and spring. Fire goes with red, the south and summer. Earth is yellow and the centre. Metal is white, the west and autumn. Water is black, the north and winter. The scheme shaped court dress, architecture, medicine and ritual, and it spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It explains why yellow was the emperor's colour.