Metal Phase (Jīn 金) — Contraction, Cutting, Autumn

Jīn (金) is the phase of contraction and refinement, governing the West and Autumn within the Wu Xing. In the shēng cycle, Metal is born from Earth and produces Water; in the kè cycle, Metal overcomes Wood. The Dao De Jing (Chapter 76) teaches that 'the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death' — Metal embodies the paradox of the blade that must be hollow to ring and yielding to endure. Jīn's qi draws inward like the autumn breath, distilling what summer expanded into its concentrated essence, the harvest's sharp discernment of what to keep and what to release.