still—room · 五行 Five Elements

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The science of the system

Five Elements

五行 wǔ xíng — "the five movements"

In traditional Chinese medicine, the five elements are not materials but phases — five qualities of change that the body, the day and the seasons move through. Each phase is linked to an organ system, a season and a time of day, and each one feeds the next in a continuous cycle: wood feeds fire, fire makes earth, earth bears metal, metal carries water, water grows wood.

still—room translates each phase into a sensory state for the room — light, scent, sound and supplementation working on the same rhythm the tradition describes, aligned with the body's circadian arc.

木Wood → Detox

In TCM: the liver phase. Spring, early morning, rising and clearing — the free flow of qi after the night.

In the roomChrysanthemum 菊花 (a traditional "clearing" herb), forest-stream sound, microbiome pod, cool green morning light.

火Fire → Energy

In TCM: the heart phase. Summer, midday, the peak of yang — circulation, warmth, outward vitality.

In the roomChen Pi 陈皮 bright citrus, a sunrise-rhythm soundscape, guarana pod, warm bright light timed to the natural alertness peak.

土Earth → Relax

In TCM: the spleen–stomach phase. Late summer and every transition — centring, nourishment, digestion, coming home.

In the roomAi Cao 艾草 (mugwort, the moxa herb), warm rain on the window, protein pod, grounding amber light for the evening.

金Metal → Focus

In TCM: the lung phase. Autumn, late afternoon — clarity, rhythm, refinement, letting go of what is unnecessary.

In the roomGreen Tea 绿茶, alpha-wave soundscape (the 8–12 Hz band associated with calm attention), vitamin C pod, crisp neutral light.

水Water → Sleep

In TCM: the kidney phase. Winter, night — storage, stillness, the deep reserve the body draws on to restore itself.

In the roomSour Jujube 酸枣仁 (suan zao ren, the classic TCM night herb), delta-wave soundscape, magnesium pod, light falling away to darkness.

The ring of light around the elements traces 相生, the generating cycle — each phase feeding the next. The faint star beneath is 相克, the controlling cycle that keeps the system in balance.

A design language drawn from tradition, translated into light, scent, sound and nutrition — sensory architecture for the room, not medical treatment.