Names of the planets

[Jose]

The Chinese names of the five planets known since antiquity are based on the names of the five elements or phases (五行). Mercury is the water planet (水星), Venus is the metal planet (金星), Mars is fire (火星), Jupiter is the wooden one (木星), and Saturn is the soil planet (土星).

I wonder where these associations come from. Why should Mercury be related to water? Or Jupiter to wood?

[Yuchi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Elements

[Altair]

Here are my speculations.

Mercury is water because it appears to move around the fastest in the night sky and seems to cling closely to the primordial sea from which the stars appear to spring up from at the horizon.

Venus is metal because it is usually the brightest "star" in the sky and appears to glint like metal with a pure white light.

Mars is fire because it has reddish tinge.

Juppiter is wood because it moves slowly in its progressions across the sky, moving at the pace at which trees grow.

Saturn is earth because it moves so slowly in the night sky from season to season that it appears steady and still like the earth. It is also usually a little dull in appearance, compared with how Venus and Juppiter usually look.

It is also possible that the Chinese associations have something to do with those of other cultures, e.g., those of the Middle East. Here is an interesting link that discusses these issues in relation to the days of the week. http://webexhibits.org/calendars/week.html#Anchor-44493