(Sang, “mutual”; geuk “to subdue,” “to overcome,” or “to restrain.”) Sanggeuk is a natural dynamic of conflict, competition, and division that serves as a catalyst in creating and advancing life. In terms of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) in Eastern philosophy, sanggeuk is a natural dynamic in which one element restrains another (i.e., wood restrains earth, earth restrains water, water restrains fire, fire restrains metal, and metal restrains wood). In the context of the cosmic year, sanggeuk is the prevailing dynamic of the Early Heaven. In terms of human relations, sanggeuk describes a process of growth through conflict and competition, which spawns and perpetuates bitterness and grief that is subsequently internalized by all humans and spirits. See also “bitterness and grief.”