Träelement

Träelement, literally the “wood element” in Swedish, refers to one of the five elements in the East Asian tradition known as Wu Xing. It is a conceptual category used across philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui and related disciplines to describe processes of growth, change and interaction within the natural world.

In Wu Xing, the Wood element embodies growth, vitality and expansion. It is associated with spring, renewal and planning, and is commonly linked to the color green and the sour taste. In traditional Chinese medicine, Wood corresponds to the liver and gallbladder, and is connected to the tendons and the eyes. The associated emotion is anger, and Wood energy is said to influence the ability to adapt and to move forward.

The generating cycle (sheng) and the controlling cycle (ke) describe Wood’s relationships with the other elements. In the generating sequence, Water nourishes Wood, and Wood in turn feeds Fire. In the controlling sequence, Wood controls Earth, while Earth controls Water and Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, and Metal controls Wood. These cycles are used to analyze balance, trends and symptoms in medical, architectural and personal-diagnostic contexts.

Applications of träelement include explanations of seasonal change, directional energy, and trait development in feng shui and astrology, as well as diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese medicine. The concept serves as a framework for understanding growth, resilience and response to environmental conditions, emphasizing balance among the five elements rather than rigid categorization.