Earth Phase (Tǔ 土) — Centering, Nourishment, Late Summer

Tǔ (土) occupies the center of the Wu Xing, governing the pivot between all four seasons and the transitional period of Late Summer. In the shēng cycle, Earth is born from Fire and generates Metal; in the kè cycle, Earth is overcome by Wood. The Dao De Jing (Chapter 6) speaks of the 'spirit of the valley' that never dies — Earth is this inexhaustible receptivity, the ground that receives all things without refusing. As the central Phase, Tǔ mediates every transformation: no element passes from one state to another without transiting through Earth's stabilizing presence.