The Relationship Between the Five Movements and Six Qi, Five Flavors, and Health Preservation in Traditional Chinese Medicine

1. Relationship Between the Five Movements and Six Qi and Health Preservation

The Five Movements (五運) — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — and the Six Qi (六氣) — Wind, Cold, Summer-Heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire — represent macrocosmic natural changes that influence the human body in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Application in Health Preservation:

• Each year and season is dominated by specific climatic tendencies (e.g., excessive wind, heat, or dampness).
• TCM uses this model to predict disease trends and guide preventive health practices.
• For example, in a year with excess Fire movement, one may need to clear Heart fire and nourish Yin.

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2. Five Flavors and Health Preservation

The Five Flavors — Sour, Bitter, Sweet, Pungent (Acrid), and Salty — each correspond to one of the Five Zang-organs and have distinct physiological actions.

Flavor	Organ	Action	Health Application
Sour	Liver	Astringent, stabilizing	Suitable for Liver imbalances; excess may lead to stagnation
Bitter	Heart	Clears heat, dries dampness	Good for Heart fire; excessive bitter can damage Yin
Sweet	Spleen	Tonifies, harmonizes	Strengthens Spleen; too much causes dampness
Pungent	Lung	Disperses, moves Qi	Helps release exterior; excess can deplete Qi and Yin
Salty	Kidney	Softens hardness, purges	Warms and supports Kidneys; excess harms blood and bones

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3. Integrated Application: Matching the Season, Flavor, and Health Focus

Season	Dominant Qi	Flavor	Organ	Health Focus
Spring	Wind	Sour	Liver	Soothe Liver, protect from wind
Summer	Heat	Bitter	Heart	Clear Heart fire, boost Qi
Late Summer	Dampness	Sweet	Spleen	Strengthen Spleen, dry dampness
Autumn	Dryness	Pungent	Lung	Moisten Lung, nourish Yin
Winter	Cold	Salty	Kidney	Warm Kidneys, store essence