It is explained in the eight-character fortune telling that the relationship between the five elements themselves is that metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth restrains water, water restrains fire, and fire restrains metal. The mutual restraint of the five elements refers to the restriction, inhibition, and constraint of one element of the five elements on the other. The most important thing about the mutual restraint of the five elements is to distinguish between the master and the restrainer. The master restrains the other, and the restrained is controlled by the other. The master's strength is consumed by restraining the opponent, and his own strength is weakened by the restraint. The main conqueror's power will suffer the least damage, while the conquered's power will suffer greater damage.
The mutual restraint of the five elements is divided into positive restraint and counter-restraint. Positive restraint means that the main restraint has the power to restrain the restrained person. That is to say, among the five elements, metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, and fire overcomes metal. Counterattack means that the main counterattacker has the weakest own strength and cannot restrain the opponent at all. Instead, he is restrained by the opponent. For example, earth can overcome water, and there is a lot of water in the soil. However, when encountering rolling water rushing against the small soil, not only will the opponent be restrained, but the opponent will be restrained. Not being able to withstand the flood, but being completely washed away by the flood, is called counterattack. The counter-resistance of the five elements can be summarized as follows:
Metal can overcome wood, but wood is completely weak: wood can overcome earth, and heavy soil will break wood; earth can overcome water, and water can overcome earth flow; water can overcome fire, and fire can overcome Dry with more water. Fire can overcome metal, and if there is too much metal, fire will be extinguished.
In addition to direct and counter-inhibition, the five elements also have heavy inconsistency. The heavy restrainer in the five elements restraint means that the restrainer is too strong and the restrained one is too weak, so that the restrained one cannot withstand extremely serious harm, resulting in a fatal outcome. Because the victim is too weak to withstand a little wind and rain, how can he be severely hit by it! The summary expression of heavy restraint is as follows: if the whole body is weak and meets fire, it will be dissolved, and if the fire is weak and meets water, it will be extinguished. When water is weak against earth, it will be blocked; when soil is weak against wood, it will collapse; when wood is weak against metal, it will be cut down.