Earth

I recently had a client say these exact words to me in my clinic. “I am having trouble transitioning from summer to autumn, and I have pain on my side between my ribs”.

This is the perfect expression to indicate weak Earth.

I am going to zoom out and then in, while describing the function and role of Earth in Chinese Medicine so you understand how this can indicate weak Earth.

In the numbering of the universe Earth is the axis around which the Elements of Water, Fire, Wood and Metal revolve.

The basic numbering of the universe is described in chapter 42 of the Dao De Jing in four stages. The Dao is moving from the unity of non-being to being the myriad things. The fifth stage is the axis around which the Dao’s movement occurs. The movements of the Dao are the cosmological basis for the Five Agents of Transformation.

1 is Water which is great

2 is Fire which is moving away

3 is Wood which is far away

4 is Metal which is the return

5 is Earth which is the axis

The first stage of Dao corresponds to Water which represents the potential basis for all manifestations in life.

The generation of Fire from Water corresponds to moving away from its original nature.

These two poles generate a third stage which corresponds to Wood. The function of Wood is to blend Water and Fire back into one by harmonizing.

The fourth stage signifies a return from the duality of Fire and Water back into the original nature of Dao as unity.

The duality of Fire and Water corresponds with the Heavenly yang and Earthly yin qi.

Earth is the axis around which the Five Agents of Transformation revolve. Which means that without Earth there would be no Elements. When the Dao begins to change and transform the first stage or division is into two forms of Qi, namely Yang and Yin Qi. The first division of the Dao creates the Heavens and Earth. Qi comes together and form rises, the Heavens and Earth are created.

The Yellow Emperor’s Classic, Qi gathers together and then form comes into being.

The lighter elements in Heaven are called Yang, and the heavier elements on Earth are called Yin.

Lie Zi writes, The purer and lighter elements tending upwards made the heavens, and grosser and heavier, tending downwards made the earth.

The function of Earth is illustrated best with the trigram of Earth, called Kun. At the moment that Earth is created the Heavens are also created, and the trigram for Heaven is called Qian.

The concepts of Qian Heaven and Kun Earth represent the functionality of Qi. Qi can be defined as having two different aspects, namely Yang and Yin. Both Yang and Yin have two distinct aspects. One aspect is how it functions and the other is how it transforms and changes into living beings.

This is reflected in chapter 5 from the Yellow Emperor’s Classic, Hence, the accumulation of yang that is heaven, the accumulation of yin, that is earth. Yin is tranquility, yang is agitation. Yang gives life, yin stimulates growth. Yang declines, yin stores. Yang transforms qi, yin completes physical appearance.

The first part of the text, the accumulation of yang that is heaven, the accumulation of yin, that is earth, is referring to Heaven and Earth as function, and its aspects are tranquility and agitation.

The second part of the text, Yang gives life, yin stimulates growth. Yang declines, yin stores. Yang transforms qi, yin completes physical appearance, is referring to how Yang and Yin interact and become the fundamental principles governing the myriad beings.

If we distil this down to basic concepts we see that Heaven represents agitation and transformation and Earth represents growth, physical appearance, and tranquility. We see this reflected in the trigrams of Heaven and Earth.

Kun is the Ultimate yin and represents Earth.

Kun Earth is the Utmost yin, and the trigram consists of three broken yin lines. Yin stands for Earth, dark, and cold. The trigram represents the receptive, since that is traditionally seen as the role of Earth in relation to Heaven. It also represents the field on which is grown what we need to survive. It grows due to the transformation of Yang and gives birth to the myriad beings.

The Chinese character for this trigram, shown below, represents Earth and female, and the field on which things are grown.  

We now have a basic understanding of the concept Earth. The role of Earth is omnipresent in living beings and things. Without Earth there would be no life. It is the axis around which the seasons and Elements revolve. This omnipresence is hard to illustrate using diagrams. We see the omnipresence of Earth reflected in the many different diagrams of the Five Elements.

Earth can be placed in the middle of the other Elements. It can be placed between Fire and Metal. It can be placed between each Element. All are correct. The different ways of placing Earth in the diagrams of the Five Elements is attempting to show that Earth is constantly present. But why is this important you ask?

It is Earth that allows the transformation and growing to occur smoothly.

These texts describe the role of Earth in giving birth to the myriad of beings. Kun Earth does not have a season of its own, the last eighteen days are entrusted to it, it is the lord of the five elements, and without Kun Earth there would be no life.

Plain Questions, The spleen, does not have a season that it governs.

Not having a season means that Earth is present is all the seasons. This is also seen in the next text.

Plain Questions, The spleen is earth, it rules the central region, it holds fast to the four seasons, and extends to the four viscera. Eighteen days from each season are entrusted to it, but it does not have a season all its own.

Dong states that the other Elements cannot exist without Earth.

Dong Zhongshu called the spleen, The lord of the five elements. It is the ruler because all the other elements cannot come into being without earth.

The concept of Earth is synonymous with the body. When we are talking about the body, we can use Earth to describe its function. We see this reflected in the following text.

Plain Questions, The central region produces dampness, dampness creates earth, earth creates sweetness, sweetness creates the spleen, the spleen creates flesh, the flesh gives rise to the lungs. In the heavens it is dampness, on earth it is the soil, in the body it is the flesh, among qi it is the qi that fills, and among the viscera it is the spleen.

When you have trouble transitioning from one season to the next, then Earth must be weak, since it is Earth that allows growth. 

The pain on the side of the body between the ribs is where the Spleen vessel or channel, which is synonymous with Earth, ends and disperses around the body like a spiderweb. This is reflected in the function of the acupuncture point Spleen 21.

大包

Spleen 21 is called Da Bao or Great Enveloping in Chinese.

·        大 (dà) = great, big

·        包 (bāo) = wrapping, enclosure, or to contain

So 大包 literally means “Great Wrapping” or “Great Enclosure.”

The Chinese character of bao 包 symbolizes a fetus surrounded by the womb. This reflects the function of nourishing the body. When Earth is weak this point becomes painful.

抱一

Bao yi is a combination of Bao and the character for one. One meaning the Dao.

In Daoism the term baoyi refers to the sage who is able to embrace the one. Meaning that the sage is making a spiritual journey and returning to his original nature which is like a womb. 

In treating Earth we are restoring the connection with the Eternal Dao, which is the source of our beginnings, and where we return to when dead. Earth ensures a smooth transformation in life.

Treatment

In restoring the nourishing aspect of our body the most representative acupuncture point is Spleen 9.

The name of Spleen 9 is Yin Mound Spring.

阴陵泉

·        阴 / 陰 (yīn) = Yin, the shady side of the hill

·        陵 (líng) = mound, hill

·        泉 (quán) = spring, source of water

So 阴陵泉 means “Yin Mound Spring.”

The Chinese character ling 陵 indicates a mound, and the character guan 泉 indicates white water rushing. This evokes a feeling of water rushing out of the source. The white color corresponds to the West, autumn, and Metal Element. Spleen 9 restores our connection to the source of Dao, which nourishes us in life.

The virtues of Spleen 9 are

·        Nourishing of the Earth to promote growing in all aspects of being.

·        Creates sympathy for self and others.

Conclusion

When Earth is weak, our inner axis loses stability. We may feel ungrounded, unable to adapt, or caught between one season and the next, just as my client expressed, “I am having trouble transitioning from summer to autumn.” The wisdom of Chinese Medicine shows us that these transitions are not only external but internal.

To nourish the Earth is to restore harmony to the center. To rekindle the Great Enclosure (Da Bao, 大包) that holds and nourishes life. In treatment, we use points like Spleen 9 (Yīn Líng Quán, 阴陵泉) to reconnect with the pure Source of vitality, allowing the waters of life to flow freely once again.

In embracing the One (Bào Yī, 抱一), we return to our original nature — calm, receptive, and whole. The path of healing through Earth is a return to balance, to the Dao itself. It is here, in the center of all transformations, that growth becomes effortless and life moves smoothly through its cycles.