Starting from your date of birth, the Chinese assign each individual an element and turn it into a key to achieving physical and mental wellbeing. Here are the five elements.
The theory of the five elements is one of the pillars of Chinese thought, and is also drawn upon by traditional medicine. An individual's constitution depends on the predominance of one of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, water. Their influence plays a fundamental role in the personalisation of care and in prevention.
No one can escape the characteristics of their own physical and psychological nature, but by discovering one's base element from one's date of birth, it is possible to identify and mitigate any weaknesses, predispositions to ailments, and to adapt better to the changes brought about by seasonal, biological and existential cycles.
Wood: this person is slender, with sturdy joints and bones that are not very prominent. Accommodating and hypersensitive, they can also be authoritative and touchy.
Fire: this person has a lean, slight appearance, with prominent bones and rosy cheeks. Helpful and generous, they are often inconsistent and pedantic.
Earth: this person is stocky, with muscular arms and legs, a broad back and powerful buttocks. Loyal, sincere and consistent, they are lazy and very attached to their comforts.
Metal: this person is solidly built, though not fat, with a heavy bone structure. Courageous and tolerant by nature, they can become arrogant, stubborn and reckless.
Water: this person is "rounded", with bones hidden beneath a light layer of fat and a rounded abdomen. Creative, wise and quick-thinking, they can prove to be lacking in courage and prone to confusion.
Two numbers are associated with each element, through which each individual can identify the positive or negative aspects of their constitution and character:
To determine one's number and corresponding element, a calculation is required, which differs for men and women.
Subtract the last two digits of your year of birth from the number 100, then divide the result by 9. In most cases the result is a decimal number, the so-called "remainder". The only digit of interest is the one that appears after the decimal point. The absence of a decimal is counted as zero, and that will be the digit to consider.
Subtract the number 4 from the last two digits of your date of birth, then divide by 9. Again in this case the result should have a decimal number, which is the one used to identify the element. If the result has no decimal number, the zero rule applies.