The Weakening Cycle

The weakening cycle is the reverse of the productive cycle. When one phase supports its counterpart in a productive relationship, it is weakened by it at the same time. Wood is burned to produce fire. Dying flames produce ashes (earth). Earth is loosen to extract metal. Metal is corroded by water and finally, water is drawn by trees to grow wood.

Remedying Negative Qi

The weakening cycle can be used to remedy negative or controlling qi. While it may seem intuitive to counter a controlling qi with another controlling qi, it is not the case. For example, to counter the imbalance between fire qi and metal qi, if we add water qi to control fire qi, we may dominate fire's power but at the same time, water qi weakens metal qi. So we still have an imbalance situation. However, by using earth qi as a cure instead, we weaken fire qi (weakening cycle) and at the same time strengthen metal qi (productive cycle), the natural balance of qi is restored.