五季 Wu Ji - Five Seasons

What are the five seasons (五季 Wǔ jì)?

The four seasons of the Northern Hemisphere are winter, spring, summer, and autumn. They are commonly referred to as the cold, dry, hot, and wet seasons. They are based on the four divisions (the two equinoxes and two solstices), where each season covers a phase of three months, a quadrant with each of 90 degrees, and covers one out of four constellations (四象 Si Xiang) the four images.


Although the meteorological conditions of the four seasons may correlate with the four divisions of the sky, there are also seasons based on regions, such as the two (dry and wet seasons), the three (flood, growth, and harvest seasons), and the fifth season.

Seasons are less related to climate than to the grouping of time phases (days/months) in a year. In China, different types of calendars with different divisions were in use, but regardless of their variations, they all used similar concepts.

The division of the ten-month year into 360 days or the twelve-month year into 365 days into five equal parts results in 72/73 days for each phase. For each of the (72/73 days) phases, an element is assigned.

The orders of the (72/73 days) phases after the winter solstice are:
甲子 Jiǎ Zi,  (mu 木), wood,
丙子 Bing Zi, (huo 火), fire
戊子 Wu Zi, (tu 土) earth,
庚子 Geng Zi, (jin 金) metal
壬子 Ren Zi, (shui 水), water.

Aside from many political changes, some significant astronomical and climate changes lead to the adjustment of the seasons and calendars.

In the latest alignment, each of the three months/ a season in a year belongs to one element (wood, fire, metal, or water), and the last 18 days, which is the transition period from one season to another, belong to Earth. In other words, the last four months of the four seasons that belong to Earth are the fifth season.

It is worth mentioning that in the previous (older) alignment, the sixth month (summer) was the fifth season.

Lifecycle of the 5 Elements

Each season/phase belongs to one of the five elements, and in each season, one element is prosperous. The element
wood is strongest in spring,
fire is strongest in summer,
metal is strongest in autumn,
water is strongest in winter, and earth is strongest in the fifth season.

The Ten Heavenly Stems as well as the Twelve Earthly Branches have their own five phases/elements. The element is strongest, 旺 Prosper when the Heavenly Stems or Earthly Branches element matches with the season’s element.

Each element in the Heavenly Stems and the Earthly branches represents a specific phase in a season. The first 12 days of each month are the stronger part, and the last 18 days are the weaker part of the elements.

In the case of the Day Master centric fate calculation method, the Day Master (Heavenly stems element) is strongest when its element is the same as the element in the season (Earthly branches element of the month).

There are five elements and, therefore, five strength indicators. The indicators, from strongest to weakest, are:

旺 Prosper,  相 Strong,  休 Dormant,  囚 In Prison,  死 Death

天干 10 Heavenly Stems
春 Spring		夏 Summer		第五季 5. Season		秋 Autumn		冬 Winter
Wood		Fire		Earth		Metal		Water
甲 Jia	乙 Yi	丙 Bing	丁 Ding	戊 Wu	己 Ji	庚 Geng	辛 Xin	壬 Ren	癸 Gui

The ten heavenly stems elements and their representing celestial seasons.

地支 12 Earthly Branches
春 Spring			夏 Summer			秋 Autumn			冬 Winter
Wood		Earth	Fire		Earth	Metal		Earth	Water		Earth
寅 Yin	卯 Mao	辰 Chen	巳 Si	午 Wu	未 Wei	申 Shen	酉 You	戌 Xu	亥 Hai	子 Zi	丑 Chou

The twelve months/earthly branches representing elements and their solar season.

 

Seasonal strength indicator
春 Spring		夏 Summer		秋 Autumn		冬 Winter		第五季 5. Season
Wood		Fire		Metal		Water		Earth				Strength
寅 Yin	卯 Mao	巳 Si	午 Wu	申 Shen	酉 You	亥 Hai	子 Zi	辰 Chen	未 Wei	戌 Xu	丑 Chou
Wood		Fire		Metal		Water		Earth				旺 Prosper
Fire		Earth		Water		Wood		Metal				相 Strong
Water		Wood		Earth		Metal		Fire				休 Dormant
Metal		Water		Fire		Earth		Wood				囚 In Prison
Earth		Metal		Wood		Fire		Water				死 Death