Wu Fei, born in 1973 in Suning, Hebei Province, received his Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University in 2005. His main research areas include Christian philosophy, anthropology, comparison of Chinese and Western cultures, etiquette, etc., and he is the author of "Suicide as a Chinese Problem" (Sanlian Books, 2007), "Floating Life and Righteousness" (Chinese Renmin University Press, 2009), "Spiritual Order and World History" (Sanlian Books, 2013), "The "Disintegration" of Human Ethics: Family-Country Anxiety in the Tradition of Morphology (Sanlian Books, 2017), "The Depth of Life" (Sanlian Books, 2019), and "Etiquette and Righteousness: An Inquiry into the Righteousness of Traditional Etiquette" (Joint Publishing Co., Ltd., 2023), Floating Life and Righteousness Revised Edition (Shanghai Joint Publishing Co., Ltd., 2024), etc. Editor-in-chief of Nanjing Academy and Modern Scholarship (Joint Publishing Co., Ltd., 2019), etc.
Abstract: Like Western philosophy, Chinese philosophy also has a rich philosophy of time and space, which is mainly embodied in the Five Elements Doctrine. The "Observation of Time" in the Book of Shangshu Yaodian provides a basic mode of understanding time and space, that is, the correspondence between the four hours and the four directions. This philosophy of time and space is then combined with the Five Elements in Shangshu Hongfan to form the basic structure of the Five Elements Doctrine, which in turn forms a very complex analogy relationship, which matures into the cosmological system in the Book of Rites and the Order of the Month. Of particular note in this system is the medium. Since the four and five are not divisible, the four hours and the five elements often cannot be matched, which is mainly reflected in the lack of corresponding seasons in the central soil. This mathematical problem reflects a unique philosophical position. It is the starting point of each life subject, but it is also one of many time and space points, so its central position is relative, which is where the life theory subject lies.
Keywords: time; Space; Wu Xing; Middle; The subject of physitology
1. The Philosophy of Time and Space in Chinese Philosophy
The philosophy of time and space is a very important aspect of Western philosophy, which often determines the ideological character of major philosophical systems. When modern Chinese philosophers refer to Western philosophy to establish the basic form of Chinese philosophy and its problem domain, the philosophy of time and space has not received the attention it deserves. This is not because the question of time and space is not important in traditional Chinese thought, but because: first, it is mostly hidden in areas that are not usually considered philosophical issues; Second, it often does not appear directly in the writings of philosophers. With the deepening and comprehensive thinking of Chinese philosophy, more and more scholars have begun to pay attention to the philosophical issues of time and space. At the same time, research in the fields of history, archaeology, paleophilology, and astronomy history has also excavated and sorted out a large number of relevant materials to facilitate further interpretation of philosophy.
In the classical Chinese texts, the discussion of the problem of time and space is very rich. For example, in the "Shangshu Yaodian" (hereinafter referred to as the "Yaodian"), the observation of time and space is discussed through the calendar. The "Distinguishing the Correct Position, Body, Country, and Field" at the beginning of each chapter of "Zhou Li" is a discussion of space issues; The "Zhou Li" arranges the six official system with the structure of heaven and earth, spring, summer, autumn and winter, which itself has a time structure. The "Flowing Fire in July" in the "Book of Songs", the "Xia Xiaozheng" in the "Great Dai Li Ji", and the "Moon Order" in the "Book of Rites" are all important texts. A large number of discussions on time and place in "Zhou Yi" are all aimed at the problem of time and space. And as Mr. Zhang Xianglong has pointed out many times, the concept of "time in Yi Chuan" and "The Mean" is a concept formed by combining the temporal "time" and the spatial "middle". The concept of "moderation" itself is taken from space, and it also contains profound spatial meanings. The intergenerational relationship between fathers, sons, ancestors and grandchildren noticed by Mr. Zhang Xianglong also has the meaning of time, and the provisions on funerals and rituals in the three "rites", and the poems about the sacrificial rites in the "Book of Songs" have very profound intergenerational time significance. As for "Spring and Autumn" as a history book, the beginning of arranging time with "the five beginnings of "Spring and Autumn" is an extremely fundamental theme; Even "Spring and Autumn" is named after the two seasons of "spring" and "autumn", which itself has the meaning of calendar time.
"Heaven and earth are known in all directions, and the universe is known in ancient times and in the present" ("Corpse"), the word "universe" in Chinese is originally the structure of time and space. It is by no means that there is no philosophy of time and space in Chinese thought, but it does not appear in the form of Western discussions on the issue of time and space, so if we mechanically refer to Western philosophy of time and space, we often fail to grasp the key points. From the above rough enumeration, it can be seen that the question of time in Chinese thought is mainly concentrated in two areas: calendar and history. The main body of Chinese astronomy is the calendar, unlike Western astronomy, which takes the laws of planetary motion as its main research object. The calendar is not only a major starting point for understanding the way of heaven, but also the determination of the calendar has become the primary task of the emperor's state-building. As for history, although the philosophy of history in Western philosophy is also very important, few civilizations have such a long and systematic tradition of historical revision as China. Sima Qian regarded "the changes of the past and the present at the time of studying heaven and man" ("Hanshu Sima Qian's Biography") as his mission to revise history, which embodies an extremely important philosophy of history. In order to affirm the meaning of "the six classics are all history" in "General Principles of Literature and History", Zhang Xuecheng must first prove that the "Book of Changes" is also a history book. He said: "It has to be said and promoted, "Yi" is a great canon of the king's restructuring, and the matter and the system are clear when the time is clear, and its meaning is clearly revealed. (Zhang Xuecheng, p. 14) He believes that the Book of Changes, as the philosophical basis for formulating the calendar, is the fundamental source of history. Liang Qichao pointed out that Zhang Xuecheng was talking about the philosophy of history. (See The Complete Works of Liang Qichao, vol. 12, pp. 277-278) Liu Xianxi, a scholar of the Republic of China, criticized: "Zhang's disciple is too narrow to say that he is not in line with Yi. The husband "Yi" shows the past and observes, God comes with knowledge, wisdom hides the past, and the righteousness of history is also. (Liu Xianxi, p. 31) He did not deny the calendar, but wanted to extract the philosophy of time from the calendar, which is the relationship between the calendar and history: "At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the six times were formed, and the six lines were mixed, but the time and things were difficult to know at the beginning, and it was easy to know on them. (ibid., p. 32) He also said: "Since all learning has been separated from the religion of God, why is it that astronomy and history are united?" This must be solved by the union. The obvious one who covers the way of heaven is the four times, the history is rooted in time, and the change is born in time. (Ibid., p. 43) Through the philosophical interpretation of the calendar and history, and the interpretation of the traditional Chinese philosophy of time and space, both Zhang Xuecheng and Liu Xianxin have a strong philosophical tendency to history in their thoughts.
Philosophically interpreting the Chinese calendar and history can lead to an in-depth dialogue with Western philosophy of time. First of all, it is necessary to clarify three starting points that are very different from Western philosophies of time and space: 1. It is not based on events, but on life as the basic unit of time; 2. The future, present, and past are not the original dimensions of analyzing time, but are derived. 3. Rather than referring to the flow of time with timeless eternity, the setting of an eternal being outside of time comes from the unique presupposition of the Christian tradition. Starting from these three points, the author has made a preliminary attempt to interpret the Chinese philosophy of time and space, pointing out that both time and space are the rhythm of life. Time is the rhythm of the unfolding of life, and space is the relationship between different lifeforms. Each life body has a life rhythm of growth and collection, so it has its own private time and space, and the big year and small year in "Zhuangzi Wandering" are private time. To the extent that it is completely self-contained, it can be said to be subjective; But it is also objective, because whether we realize it or not, life unfolds and passes away. In the same way, each individual has its own private space, that is, the relative position between him and other living beings. But the establishment of civilization requires the establishment of public time and space, the calendar is the establishment of public time, and the state is the establishment of public space. History, as the most important symbol of the establishment of civilization, makes the view of time and space of civilization go beyond the private time and space of individuals and move towards immortality. The Five Beginnings of Spring and Autumn is the beginning of public time based on natural time. The biographical writing of the "Records of the Historians" is to incorporate the individual's private time (biography) into the public time and space (the Son of Heaven Benji), thus forming a continuous and immortal history of civilization. (See Wu Fei, 2024, pp. 81-92)
This article will continue the thinking in this article and understand the philosophy of time and space with the help of the Five Elements Theory. The establishment of the Chinese calendar thought greatly relied on the Five Elements Theory, so the Five Elements Theory constituted a basic model for the establishment of China's public space-time. The Five Elements Thought was once the dominant ideology of the traditional Chinese worldview. [The "Five Elements of Yin and Yang" have always been referred to together, but since Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty, scholars have generally agreed that Yin and Yang have different origins from the Five Elements; Mr. Pang Pu also forcefully pointed out that the Yin-Yang doctrine and the Yixue tradition also have different origins. (cf. Pang Pu, p. 77) All three doctrines are related to space-time and the calendar, and converge at the time of the Warring States and Han dynasties to form a very rich cosmology. This article only discusses the five elements issue. In modern times, on the one hand, the whole cosmology structured in five elements has been denied; But on the other hand, objective and serious academic research on the Five Elements Thought has also been carried out. Mr. Gu Jiegang said: "The five elements are the Chinese's ideological law and the Chinese's belief in the universe system. (Gu Jiegang, ed., p. 404) Mr. Liang Qichao said: "The theory of the five elements of yin and yang has been the base camp of superstition for 2,000 years. (See ibid., p. 343) Subsequently, through the continuous research of many scholars from the perspective of different disciplines, we have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the development and evolution of the theory of yin and yang and its significance in Chinese culture. Mr. Kwong Zhiren borrowed the concept of biologist Bertrand Fei and regarded the five elements of yin and yang as a "general system theory" (written by Kwong Zhiren, p. 418), while Mr. Yang Rubin used Eliad's framework of religious anthropology to treat the theory of the five elements as the "theory of primordial existence" in ancient China (Yang Rubin, p. 9). Mr. Kwong regards the five elements of yin and yang as a complete system, and attaches more importance to their overall relationship, indicating that the five elements of yin and yang are not just superstitions, but a system of thinking that deserves to be taken seriously. Mr. Yang elaborated on the mythological and civilizational meanings of the concepts of yin and yang, qi, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, showing that the idea of the Five Elements Doctrine embodies the very fundamental way of thinking of Chinese civilization. However, the author believes that re-examining the Five Elements Theory from the perspective of the theory of life can see that its spiritual core is a philosophy of time and space.
2. The spatio-temporal structure of visual timing
Scholars have roughly studied the origin of the Five Elements Theory as follows: (1) the Four Seasons Theory, (2) the Four Directions Theory, (3) the Five Materials Theory (see Liu Changlin, pp. 9-19), (4) the Bu Zhao Theory (see Pang Pu, pp. 75-98), (5) the Five Elements Theory of the Heavenly Stem (see Pan Yuting, Vol. 8, p. 31), and (6) the Five Stars Theory (cf. Liu Qiqi, pp. 133-160). The "Observation of Time" in the "Yao Dian" and the Five Elements in the "Shangshu Hongfan" (hereinafter referred to as "Hongfan") are the two most important sources of the Five Elements Doctrine. Although both are important in the formation of the Five Elements Theory, we believe that in the process of evolution, "Observing Timing" as the basic framework for understanding the Five Elements System has become more dominant. Modern scholars often attach great importance to the significance of the "Five Elements Domain", and compare water, fire, wood, gold, and earth with the ancient Greek theory of the four elements, ignoring the decisive role of the theory of "observing time" in establishing the structure of time and space. Let's look first at the passage "Visually timed":
It is the order of Xihe, Qin Ruohaotian, the sun, moon and stars, and the time of honoring people. Divide the life of Xi Zhong, the house of the Yi said Yanggu, Yin Bin Day, Ping Zhi Dongzuo, the star bird in the day, Yin Zhongchun, the analysis of the Turks, the birds and beasts; Uncle Deuteronomy, Zhai Nanjiao, Pingzhi Nanzhen, respectful, Sun Yong Xinghuo, to be midsummer, Turkic people, birds and beasts Xige; Divide the life and Zhong, the west of the house is called the valley, the day of Yinyang, the level of the west into the west, the star in the night, the Yin Zhongqiu, the people of the people, the birds and beasts; Deuteronomy and uncle, the house Shuo Fang said the secluded capital, flat in Shuoyi, the day is short and the stars are in the middle of winter, the people are in the middle of winter, and the birds and beasts are hairy. The emperor said: "Consult Ru Xi and Yaohe, there are six days in three hundred days, and there are four hours in the leap month, and the age is old." (Yaodian)
Lu Deming quoted Ma Shiyun: "The Xi clan is in charge of the heavenly official, the He clan is in charge of the land official, and the four sons are in charge of the four times." (See Ruan Yuan inscription, p. 251) The Xihe family was in charge of the six elements of heaven and earth, spring, summer, autumn and winter, which corresponded to the structure of the six elements of the Zhou Li. It shows several aspects of the observation of time: the four directions of east, south, west and north (where Yao is located is the center) correspond to the four times of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and are related to the position of the sun in the star chart.
The spatiotemporal correspondence between the four directions of the south, east, west, and the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter is reminiscent of the relativistic model in modern science. Albert Einstein defined time this way: "We understand the 'time' of an event as the reading placed on the clock closest to the event. (Einstein, pp. 19-20) The unity of space-time in the theory of relativity is understood through the observation of the motion of things, and does not recognize time outside of events and space outside of objects. In the special theory of relativity, space is the distance of motion, and time is the duration of motion; In general relativity, the so-called spatial curvature refers to the curvature of the direction of motion, and the so-called temporal curvature refers to the change of time and velocity. Therefore, the unity of time and space is the continuity of the space-time coordinates of events.
But the unity of time and space in "visual timing" is very different. "Hanshu Legal Calendar" cloud: "Four directions, the body of the four times." "This unity is first embodied in the relationship between ephemeral calculation and azimuth measurement. Xi and the brothers need to go to the southeast and northwest to determine spring, summer, autumn and winter, because to determine the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, it is necessary to accurately determine the southeast, northwest and northwest; The measurement of the southeast and northwest is inseparable from the observation of the sun, the Beidou, and the barracks. These two aspects are two-and-one relationships. Many archaeological discoveries have shown that ancient China had accurate quadripartite positioning and related celestial observations very early. (See Feng Shi, 2010, pp. 374-376) "The Book of Songs: The Fang of Ding": "The Fang of Ding, made in the Chu Palace; It was made in the Chu room. Mao Chuan: "Ding, barracks." In the square, faint in the square. 揆, degree also. Spend the sun rising and entering the sun, so as to know things. The south is fixed, the north is quasi-polar, and the north is due north. (See Nguyen Yuan Proofreading, p. 71) The ancients built houses not only to observe the changes in the sun's shadow, but also to correct the north-south direction according to the barracks and the North Star (actually the Beidou). This method of observation is also described in detail in books such as "Zhou Li: Examination of Gongji", "Huainanzi" and "Zhou Ji Shujing". Mr. Feng Shi said: "The ancients established the earliest time system by taking advantage of the characteristics of the Beidou, which is visible all year round and has a fixed moving period in the equatorial zone. (Feng Shi, 2006, p. 3)
"Yaodian" "observation of time" and "Zhou Li" "distinguish the square position", although one talks about the calendar, the other talks about the direction, but it is closely related. At the beginning of each article of "Zhou Li", the capital said: "Only the king founded the country, distinguished the right position, the country and the economy, and set up officials and posts." "Zhou Li, Tianguan Tsukazai" Zheng Note: ""Situ Zhi" said: The scenery of the sun, the ruler is five inches, which is said to be in the land, the place where heaven and earth meet, the place where the four seasons meet, and the place where yin and yang meet. However, all things are safe, and the kingdom is built. Zheng Zhu emphasized the importance of "zhong" in this system and explained the relationship between the four directions and the four times. Therefore, the meaning of "distinguishing the square position" and the "Yao Dian" divides the life of Xi and the house in the four directions to observe the time, "Pingzhi Dongzuo", "Pingzhi Nanzhen", "Pingzhi Xicheng" and "Pingzao Shuoyi", its meaning is equivalent, that is, the correct position of the square contains the meaning of the observation of time, and the observation of the time must be completed by distinguishing the square position. It can be seen that the two classics of "Yaodian" and "Zhou Li" respectively regard the observation of time and the correct position of the Son of Heaven as the top priority of the founding of the Son of Heaven, because only by accurately measuring the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter and the four directions of the east, south, west and north, can the Son of Heaven have the legitimacy and basic technology of building the country and governing the people. The "Zhou Li" establishes the official system according to the six combinations of heaven, earth, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and it is precisely on this basis for its cosmology.
The word "time", "Shuo Wen Jie Zi": "Four o'clock also, from the sound of the temple." Paragraph note: "This spring, autumn, winter and summer is called, and by extension, it is used for all years." (Duan Yuxi, p. 302) "Shi" was originally a very broad concept, focusing not on small moments, but on the changes of the four seasons, so the penmanship of "Spring and Autumn" is written as day, month, hour, and year, where time refers to the four hours. "Shuowen Jie Zi" also recorded the ancient word "旹" of "time", from the day, cover the time for the place of the day, spring, summer, autumn, winter, the place of the day is different, and the four hours are divided. There are clear spring and autumn in the oracle bone inscription materials, but summer and winter have not yet been seen. It is very likely that the year was originally divided into two seasons, spring and autumn, and then subdivided into four seasons, so the order of spring and autumn has briefly represented the general change of the season, and there is a simple description of the transformation of yin and yang. The hexagram structure of the Zhou Rite also matches heaven and earth in the order of the four times, and the six officials of the kingdom are established accordingly. The book of praise and disparagement of the history of Lu Guoji, called "Spring and Autumn", also has this meaning.
One year is divided into four hours; In the "Monthly Order", each hour is divided into March, middle and quarter, and December; There are two solar terms in the month, making a total of 24 solar terms; Each solar term can be divided into three phases, each waiting for five days, a total of 72 seasons in the year. This is the result of the continuous subdivision of "time". It has been established in the Yaodian that the four seasons are three hundred and sixty-six days old, and although the calendar is sketchy, it has already presented the most basic concern of the Chinese calendar tradition: the rhythm of the growth of all things. Spring, summer, autumn, harvest and winter storage are the basic concepts of "time" in the Chinese tradition, which is very different from the Greek tradition of understanding time () from the "moment" ().
We can understand the Quartet in the same way. In addition to the understanding of bucket handle transformation and vertical surface measurement, for the Central Plains region of the northern temperate zone of the earth, the south is the hottest place to receive the most sunlight. The north is the place that receives the least amount of sunlight and is the coldest; The sunrise in the east shows a vibrant atmosphere; The sunset in the west shows the abundance of the sunset. Although there is no clear theory of yin and yang in the Yaodian, the correspondence between the four directions and the four rhythms of life is also completely equivalent to the four seasons. Therefore, the unity of time and space in "visual time" comes from the correlation between the four hours and the four directions, and philosophically, it can be understood as two manifestations of the rhythm of life. The rhythm of growth formed by the longitudinal expansion of life is time; The rhythm of growth in the horizontal position is the space.
From the emphasis on "zhong" in the Zheng Note of the "Zhou Li" cited above, it can be inferred that between the southeast, the northwest, and the four directions, there is also a direction, that is, the "zhong" where Emperor Yao is located, but it is not explicitly stated in the "Yao Dian". The Yin people already have the concept of the four directions, and take the gods of the four directions as the object of sacrifice. The intersection of east and west and north and south is not only another position outside the four directions, but also the place where the observer is located, that is, the "middle" of the fifth party. (cf. Feng Shi, 2006, p. 10) For a living subject, the four directions of the south, east, west, and northwest are not just the extension of matter, but the front and back, the left and right, the different positions to which the sun rises and falls, and the Beidou handle refers to. Therefore, these different directions have different meanings for his life. Each life subject will establish a space-time coordinate system based on its own center. The Son of Heaven stood in the center of the country, and it was for his people to establish a common space-time coordinate by observing the time and distinguishing the square.
For the life subjects in the middle position, the four seasons and the four directions show their life rhythm in two ways. At the time of the vernal equinox, all things grow, and their life begins to be active; At the time of the summer solstice, everything flourishes and life reaches prosperity; At the time of the autumn equinox, from warm to cold, life enters the harvest stage; At the time of the winter solstice, life is in a state of concealment. The four hours are divided into December, 24 solar terms, 72 solar terms, and 366 days, and the combination of different calculation methods of the solar calendar and the lunar calendar makes the understanding of the rhythm of life more and more refined. Based on this calendar, there is a heavenly stem and an earthly branch in the oracle bone inscription, and the twelve earthly branches become the way of counting the months of the year, and the way of keeping time in a day; The stem and branch are matched and become sixty jiazi, which is both a chronological unit and a chronological unit. This was a more accurate way of calculating time, indicating that the timekeeping method was quite mature at that time. Applying the stem branch timing method to time units of different sizes, people understand the changes in time with similar rhythms. In the first year of life, there are four changes in the growth and growth of the collection; In January, there is also a cycle of moon phases. In the middle of the day, there is a day-night alternation of sunrise and sunset; Shao Yong pushed up from the unit of the year to the world, fortune, meeting, and yuan, although the unit of measurement is getting larger and larger, but the calculation ratio is the same, that is, its rhythm of change is the same. Further observation of celestial phenomena has led to the formation of an understanding of the cycle of time and the alternation of yin and yang.
In ancient times, all major civilizations used celestial phenomena to calculate time. In Plato's Timaeus, the creation of time is also thought to be closely related to the movement of the sun, moon and stars. However, as Western philosophy becomes more and more abstract, and "time" is more and more detached from the changes of celestial phenomena, philosophers pay more and more attention to abstract time, believing that the movement of the sun, moon and stars is not real time, but only a way of measuring time, and may not even be accurate. The invention of modern clocks marked the establishment of an objective and absolute view of time. (cf. Wu Guosheng, p. 86) However, the time on the clock is still inseparable from the time measurement method established by the movement of the sun, moon and stars. Not to mention that the sun, month, time and year are still the most basic units of measurement for our understanding of time, and the units of measurement of 24 hours, 60 minutes, and 60 seconds are still based on the understanding of the cyclical rhythm of celestial phenomena. Although modern science has developed a more accurate way of keeping time of minutes and seconds, the basic understanding of it has not changed much.
The Chinese way of keeping time has always been closely related to the celestial cycle. But the significance of this correlation lies not in the celestial phenomena themselves, but in the rhythmic frame of reference of each living being. The significance of the four seasons of the year lies in the growth and collection of life; In the same way, the significance of the 12 hours of the day lies in its rhythm of sunrise and sunrise. The day, month, hour, and year can all be understood in the sense of the rhythm of life. The one-day cycle consisting of the twelve hours and the four-hour cycle composed of the twelfth month are the two most basic natural rhythms that human life refers to. But the rhythm of human life is not limited to one year old, so there are sixty jiazi.
3. The five elements and their accessories
The "five elements" of "Hong Fan" are water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, which are five kinds of things on the surface, which are very similar to the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air in the Greco-Indian tradition. (cf. Ding Sixin, pp. 138-149) However, after the emergence of the Five Elements Theory, it was soon combined with the Four Seasons and Five Directions Theory. Therefore, only after clarifying the space-time structure of the four times and five directions can we discuss these five elements again, so as to avoid blindly comparing the elements with each other.
"Hong Fan" cloud: "One is water, two is fire, three is wood, four is gold, and five is earth." The water is said to be moist, the fire is said to be hot, the wood is said to be straight, the gold is said to be from the leather, and the soil is said to be cropped. Moisten the bottom for salty, the flame for bitterness, straight for sour, from leather for bitterness, grain for sweetness. Although the words are simple, they contain a fourfold structure: 1 water, fire, wood, gold and earth five things, but they do not follow the order of mutual generation, which is formed after combining with the four times and four directions: spring (wood) - summer (fire) - earth - autumn (metal) - winter (water); 2One, two, three, four, five, that is, the number of births in later generations, is formed according to the winning relationship between water, fire, wood and gold, and the earth; 3. The nature of the five things has also been quite clearly demonstrated; 4. Although it is not as complicated as the Five Elements Theory in later generations, the analogy between the Five Elements and the Five Flavors is also a basic characteristic of the Five Elements Theory.
Compared with the ancient Greek theory of elements, the theory of the five elements has three important differences: first, the elements are the basic units of all things, but the five elements are not the elements composed of all things, but a system of accessories; Second, the four elements have a clear order of high and low according to their location and composition, i.e., fire is the highest, followed by qi, water again, and earth is the lowest. However, the five elements are basically juxtaposed, mutually reinforcing and winning, and there is no clear distinction between high and low, although earth and water will receive special attention; Third, in the philosophization of concepts, there is a considerable difference between the body of the five elements and the entities above the elements. That is, with the philosophical focus on existence and substance, the physical properties of the four elements have become more and more marginalized and have lost their philosophical significance, but the five elements in "Hong Fan" have always been very important and an important resource for philosophical thinking.
Graham attempts to understand the symbolic structure of the five elements of yin and yang in a structuralist way. (cf. Graham, pp. 1-27) suggests that what is important is not the substantial association between the five elements, but a taxonomic structure of ingredients. The nature of the five elements is different from each other, and the difference between the five is expressed through this structure, and the number one, two, three, four, and five are connected to form their cycle order, which is staggered and orderly because of their different natures; The five flavors are the basic classification of tastes by the ancients, and they are matched with the five elements to form a structure and order. It is precisely because of the lack of precise correspondence that larger-scale and multi-level ingredients will be derived in the future.
"Yi Zhou Shu Xiao Kaiwu": "Five elements, one black, bit water; two red, bit fire; Sancang, bit wood; Four white, bit gold; Five yellows, bit soil. This should be the earliest record of the purpose of seeing the five colors, and the number of its five elements is the same as that of the "Hongfan". "Mozi Flag": "Wood is the blue flag, fire is the red flag, the salary is the yellow flag, the stone is the white flag, and the water is the black flag." The flags are also arranged in five colors. (cf. Wang Tao, pp. 261-294)
"Zuo Chuan" mentions five tones several times, but does not specify the purpose. "Lao Tzu" is juxtaposed with five colors, five tones, and five flavors. In the pre-Qin Zhuzi, the sayings of "five tones" and "five tones" were very common. "Chinese Zhou Yu" has Lingzhou Jiu answering the question of King Jing of Zhou, Yun: "Qin Se Shang Palace, Zhong Shangyu, Shi Shangjiao, Zhu Li system, big but not palace, fine but not feather." Fu Palace, the Lord of the Sound also, the first and the feather. When it comes to the palace, feathers, and horns, and then the twelve laws, but not the business and the signs, whether there are only three tones at that time, or whether there are five tones, and only three tones, there is a debate among scholars. (See Feng Wenci and Yu Yuzi, p. 134; Hu Qiping, pp. 10-16) The author believes that in view of the fact that the names of "five tones" and "five tones" were already in many documents at that time, it seems that Lingzhou doves should not only know three tones. As for the two articles of "Young Official" and "Ground Member" in "Guanzi", the eyes of the palace merchant horn and feather are listed in detail, and they have been compared with the five elements, five colors, five flavors, and even the four seasons and four directions. The newly unearthed Tsinghua Jian's "Five Tone Diagram" is another evidence of five tones with five elements. (See Tan Wei, pp. 31-39; Chen Minzhen, pp. 40-51)
From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, the Five Directions and Four Seasons, the Five Elements, and the Yin and Yang Theories gradually merged and became a fairly complete cosmic structure, that is, the Yin and Yang Five Elements Theory. The vast majority of these combinations are monthly literature. In addition to the "Zhou Yue Jie", "Shi Xun Jie" in the "Yi Zhou Shu" and the deceased "Yue Ling", the "Young Official", "Young Official Map", "Four Hours", "Five Elements", "Water and Land", "Light and Heavy Self" in the "Guanzi" are the earliest such documents seen today. (See Bai Xi, pp. 24-34; Ge Zhiyi, pp. 60-66; Zhang Qiqun, p. 114) In addition, a large number of astronomical and mathematical literature have been unearthed, such as the Changsha Bullet Kuchu Silk Book, which is very similar to the "Guanzi Youguantu", and the time of writing is also comparable; The "Four Hours" and "Five Chronicles" in the Tsinghua Jianzhong show that the four times and five elements of the Warring States period had a wide influence. Zou Yan is not the inventor of the Five Elements Theory, but the inventor of the Five Elements Theory when he applied the Five Elements to the political field. The Spring and Autumn Period of the Lü Family (hereinafter referred to as the "Lü Ji") formed a very complete monthly order system, which was included in the "Book of Rites" and became the "Moon Order", and the "Huainanzi Shi Zexun" was also revised from the "Lü Ji". There are also "Welcoming the Four Hours", "Heaven and Earth Eight Winds and Five Elements Guest Host Five Tones Dwelling", "Thirty Hours", "Four Seasons", "Five Orders" and other articles in the Yinque Mountain Han Jian, and the "Four Seasons and Moon Decrees" of Dunhuang Zhiquan, etc., showing the wide application of the Han Dynasty monthly order literature. (cf. Xue Mengxiao, p. 55)
Although this kind of lunar literature is generally classified as the works of the Yin and Yang family, it is based on the basic structure of the four seasons and five directions, which can be said to be an expansion of the "Yaodian" observation and time teaching chapter. In order to understand the essence of the ideas in these documents, we need to slightly discern the relationship between the Yin-Yang family and the literature of the lunar order. "Hanshu Art and Literature Chronicle" cloud: "The flow of the Yin and Yang family, covering the official of Xihe, respecting Haotian, the sun, moon and stars, respecting the people, this is also its director." and those who are detained for it, they are involved in taboos, mud in decimals, and let ghosts and gods at the expense of personnel. This passage reveals that the astronomical calendar spoken by the Yin-Yang family is originally from the official of Xihe in the "Yaodian", and it is the duty to observe the time, so the five elements, yin and yang, astronomy, calendar, etc. are not exclusive to the Yin-Yang family, and the "detainees" will be "tied to taboos, mud in decimals, and let ghosts and gods at the expense of personnel", which is usually called the Yin-Yang family, so although the "Book of Han" criticizes the Yin-Yang family, there are still "Legal Calendar", "Astronomy" and "Five Elements" Zhuzhi, just as Shi Qian criticized Zou Yan for "Hong Da Bujing", It is not his principle of the four seasons of yin and yang and the five elements of heaven and earth, but: "The first order is above the Yellow Emperor, the common technique of scholars, the prosperity and decline of the great world, because of the auspicious degree system, pushed away, to the heaven and earth have not been born, and the dark can not be examined and the original." ("Historical Records: The Biography of Mencius Xunqing") The Yin and Yang family speculated on the situation of heaven and earth before they were born with their own theories, talked about some things that could not be examined, and talked about the taboos of ghosts and gods, which has exceeded the limit of the philosophy of time and space in the Five Elements, so it is criticized by people who are learning. Sima Tan commented on Yin and Yang Jiayun in "On the Six Essentials": "Taste the art of stealing and viewing Yin and Yang, and the public taboo makes people afraid of it. However, the order of the four times is smooth, and it cannot be lost. ("Historical Records, Taishi Gong Self-Introduction") and explained in detail: "The husband yin and yang, the four hours, the eight places, the twelve degrees, and the twenty-four verses, each has a decree, and those who follow it prosper, and those who go against it do not die or die, and it is not inevitable." Therefore, it is said that it makes people restrained and fearful. Fu spring is born in summer, autumn and winter is hidden, this heavenly way of the great scriptures, Fu Shun is not the world discipline, so it is said that the four times of the great shun, can not be lost. From Sima's father and son to Liu Xiang and Ban Gu, the attitude is that although there are criticisms of the Yin and Yang family's theory of ghosts and gods, blessings and misfortunes, they are convinced that the four seasons run as the great scripture of heaven and the origin of the world's discipline. When we look at these monthly literature today, such as the mythical stories of Fuxi and Nuwa told in the book of Chu Silk, they should belong to the Yin-Yang family's vain words about ghosts and gods, but the calendar framework of the four seasons is the art of observing the time inherited by the Yin-Yang family, and it is also the foundation of the later imperial court, rather than the small art of Hongda, and this part of the content will even be included in the "Book of Rites". (See Gao Jiyi, p. 1)
Fourth, the cosmology of "Moon Order".
The main purpose of this paper is not to study the development process of the Five Elements and the Yueling literature in detail, but mainly to look at their most mature achievements, namely the Lü Ji and the Yueling, which have reached a comprehensive synthesis.
This article is based on December, the astrological signs, the heavenly stems, the five gods, the five elements, the five insects, the five sounds, the twelve laws, the five flavors, the five smells, the five rituals, etc., are all in it, and the room where the Son of Heaven is sacrificed in each season, the color of the clothes, and the decrees issued are all related, as the most systematic synthesis, it can be said that the previous rhythms on all aspects of the five elements of yin and yang are all incorporated, and the whole article is a complete system of accessories and analogies. Here is just a list of the items that are easy to summarize and arrange:
As the first of the first twelve chapters of the Lü Spring and Autumn Period, the Lü Ji is the original existing text form, and the content of each article is an organic whole, and the things discussed under each epoch are always related to the corresponding month, and the yin and yang growth and decline during the period, and the principle of growth and collection are more worthy of attention. For example, in the month of Meng Chun, the yang energy is budding, and there are four articles: "Bunsheng", "Noble Yourself", "Valuing the Public" and "Going to Private", on the beginning of health preservation and the distinction between public and private; In the moon of mid-spring, the yang energy is slightly stronger, and there are four articles: "Guisheng", "Lust", "When Dyeing" and "Fame", on the abstinence of Guisheng; In the month of spring, the yang energy has been quite vigorous, there are four articles, "Exhaustion", "Ancestors", "On People", and "Circle Dao", which speak of the way of yin and yang, heaven and earth, and the way of oneself, and the first cloud of "Exhaustion": "Born with yin and yang, cold, summer, dryness, and humidity, the transformation of the four seasons, the change of all things, all for the benefit, all for the harm, the sage to observe the appropriateness of yin and yang, and distinguish the benefits of all things in order to live." "It is the theory that it should be in late spring. Later, in the summer to learn words and music, in the autumn to speak the might, in the winter to say the funeral festival, all suitable for the time. The text may have come from before the Lu family, or it was written by the Lu family's disciples, but in any case, after entering this book, the twelve articles are carefully constructed, and the first chapter of the article is matched with the text in the article, forming a large article on the four seasons and the principle of life and etiquette, which is far from being comparable to the works of ordinary Yin and Yang families.
When it is combined into a chapter, it is incorporated into the "Book of Rites" as "Moon Order", and into "Huainanzi" as "Shi Zexun", all of which have lost this meaning, but they are integrated into the respective structures of the two books. "Moon Order" is the fourth part of the "Book of Rites", and the second "Qu Li", "Tan Gong" and "Royal System" play an important role in the "Book of Rites". The subsequent discussions on rituals, music, festivals, health and death, all follow the order of the four times of the "Moon Order", and the growth and decline of yin and yang. is just like "Xia Xiaozheng" to "Da Dai Li", but "Xia Xiaozheng" is too rough and far less rigorous and meticulous than "Moon Order". Later Tang Xuanzong moved the "Moon Order" to the first part of the "Book of Rites", because the rhythm of time in it constituted the basis for the order of heaven and earth and the system of etiquette and music. "Shi Zexun" is the fifth chapter of "Huainanzi", the second "Yuan Dao Xun", "Yu Zhen Xun", "Astronomical Training", "Topographic Training", "Shi Zexun", after the preface of December, and the five directions and six combinations, followed by "Meditation Training" and "Spiritual Training", widely talking about the life structure of heaven, earth and man. This is not true.
In the "Moon Order" system, December is the outline, because the one-year heavenly cycle is the most basic life rhythm, and it is quite explained by the changes in yin and yang. For example, in the midsummer moon, "the sun is long, yin and yang fight, death and life are divided", Zheng Note: "Those who fight, Yang Fang is prosperous, and Yin wants to rise." From spring and March to Mengxia, it is the stage of gradual rise of yang energy, and now the yang energy is extremely strong, and the day is long, but it is said that "yin and yang fight" (Zheng Xuan, p. 212), so the change of yin and yang in the month is quite detailed, and it is especially necessary to grasp the balance of yin and yang at this time: "A gentleman fasting, he must cover himself everywhere, do not be impatient, stop his lust, stop his lust, and set his mind and qi, and the hundred officials will not be punished, so as to determine the success of Yan Yin." (Ibid., pp. 212-213) is at the height of the yang, but it needs to be still, and the yin gradually becomes good. Although Xia is matched with fire in the south, it "does not need to fire in the south", Zheng Note: "Yang is strong, and fire is used in its side, which harms the yin." (Ibid., p. 213) Midwinter is opposite to midsummer, and it is also the time when the yin and yang are born, so the clouds: "It is the moon, the day is short, the yin and yang fight, and all beings are swinging." Zheng Note: "Contend, Yin Fang is sheng, and Yang wants to rise." (ibid., p. 239) On this occasion of the ebb and flow of yin and yang, "a gentleman who fasts must hide himself everywhere, be at peace with his body, be free from lust, abstain from lust, be at ease, and be quiet in his desires, until the yin and yang are determined" (ibid.). Fasting and seeking quietness, the winter solstice is very similar to the practice of the summer solstice, but the "to be determined by yin and yang" when yang is born and "determined by yin and yang" when yin is born is subtly different. The other monthly discussions are all based on the trend of yin and yang news, not only strictly divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter, but also in the Meng, mid and season of each time, the trend of growth and decline is slightly different, and the pen is extremely exquisite.
Fifth, the virtue of the soil and the center
In this system, special attention should be paid to the central soil. Among the five elements, earth has a special position because it is the nourishing and bearer of life, and it is in the four directions in the rhythm of space. However, the four o'clock and the extended December, the twenty-four solar terms, the seventy-two solar terms, and the three hundred and sixty-six days are not divisible by the five, so it is difficult to have a match with the central earth in the temporal structure. Various calendrical texts have taken different approaches to this issue. Literature such as "Guanzi Young Official" and Yinqueshan Han Jian's "Thirty Hours" adopt the solar term system of thirty hours, which is a solution to this problem. (See Li Ling, 1988, pp. 18-24; Li Ling, 2006, pp. 301-317; Chen Kanli, pp. 363-380) The "Guanzi Five Elements" chapter is completely divided into one year according to the five elements, with 72 days each for the wood line, the fire line, the earth line, the gold line, and the water line, for a total of 360 days. But both approaches introduce new problems. As a result, the main "Moon Order" literature does not assign seasons to the soil, but emphasizes its special status, such as "Guanzi Four Hours": "Tude Shifu enters and exits at four o'clock, with wind and rain festival soil benefit, native skin and skin, its virtue and peace are even, Zhongzheng is selfless, practical auxiliary four seasons, spring cultivation, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter closure." The great cold is extreme, the country is prosperous, and the Quartet is obedient, which is called the virtue of the year. "Huainanzi Shi Jie Xun" allocates Mengxia and Midsummer to fire, and the month of Jixia to earth.
The treatment of the "Lü Ji" and the "Yue Ling" is to place the central soil between summer and autumn, but do not distribute the season, which not only ensures that the soil is in the center, but also does not break the equal distribution between the four seasons and December. But if there is no time to match with the central soil, when will the Son of Heaven live in the temple and the room mentioned in the text? Kong Shu: "The soil is sent every hour, and the king is also on the eighteenth day." (See Ruan Yuan's inscription, p. 2970) This is how the White Tiger Pass Five Elements treats: "The four seasons of the earth king, eighteen days each. "In the spring, summer, autumn, and winter, 18 days are evened out and returned to the earth, so that the earth can also have 72 days. (See Xu Fuguan, pp. 12-13; Li Ruohui, pp. 1-11) The "Lunar Order" does not identify the middle in a certain season, and removes such as the stars and the sunset, weather changes, and seasonal taboos and other contents that are obviously related to the season, and only talks about the analogy of the color of the season that is not obvious, but still leaves some traces of the season, such as: "Its day is self-sufficient." If the time is not fixed, how can we talk about "the day"? Zheng Zhuyun: "E's words are also mao, and his own words are also." Between the four o'clock of the day, from the ecliptic, the moon is the support, so far all things are luxuriant, and its showy person is repressed and rises, so it is because it is the name of the day. (Zheng Xuan, p. 218) Zheng Xuan apparently still thinks that this is the turn of summer and autumn. At this time: "The Son of Heaven lives in the big temple room, takes the big road, drives the yellow horse, carries the yellow flag, wears yellow clothes, and wears topaz." (Ibid.) The Son of Heaven has a corresponding dwelling, banner, chariot, horse, clothes, clothes, and so on every month, and if the central earth is not worthy of a definite month, when will the Son of Heaven dwell in the temple and the palace and use all this? Kong Shu placed the soil on the eighteenth day at the end of each time, I am afraid it is also difficult to arrange, so Kong still compromised with "Huainanzi", thinking: "Although every sub-mail, and the bit is not [the word "not", all books are the same, doubtful derivation, or the word "end" is false. It should be at the end of the summer season, between the golden fire, so it is also Chen here. (See Nguyen Yuan proofreading, p. 2970)
The awkward position of the central soil attachment is ostensibly due to the indivisible mathematical problem of four and five, but it is also a very important philosophical problem of time and space. In the space system, the middle is the position of the Son of Heaven between the south, east, and west; In the Five Elements system, soil is the central line that produces food and carries life; But in the perpetual flow of time, it is impossible to locate the middle. The formulation schemes in different literatures seem to be only far-fetched to unify these different systems, but they contain profound philosophical thoughts. Later, Dong Zhongshu's "Spring and Autumn Dew: The Way of Heaven" found a very philosophical solution in the time system, that is, the winter solstice and summer solstice are the two middles, and the spring and autumn equinoxes are the two sums:
There are two harmony in the sky, and there are two in it. Years stand in it, and it is endless. It is in the north that the yin is used, and the things begin to move below; In the south, Heyang is used, and the beginning is beautiful. Those who move below cannot be born without the sum of the East, and the middle spring is also; Those who are raised on the top cannot be achieved without the sum of the West, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is also. However, the beauty and evil of heaven and earth are in the place of harmony. The second middle school came and went, and it did it. Therefore, the East is born and the West becomes, and the East and the North are born; And the West and the South have grown. It will not be born from what it cannot be with; Grow up, so that it will not be impossible to achieve harmony. Becoming in harmony, life will be harmonious; Start in the middle, stop in the middle. In the middle, the place of the world is the end; And the one who is harmonious is also born of heaven and earth. Fu Demo is greater than harmony, and Dao Mo is in the middle. In the middle, the beauty of heaven and earth is also reasonable, and the place of the saints is also protected. ("Spring and Autumn Dew: The Way of Heaven")
The winter and summer solstices are the two points at the end of yin and yang, and the equinoxes of spring and autumn are the two points at which yin and yang are equally divided. Dong Zhongshu's neutralization theory can be compared with the neutralization theory in "The Mean": "Joy, anger, sorrow and happiness have not yet occurred, and they are in the middle; It is said to be the sum of the middle sections. Those who are in the middle are also the great capital of the world; Those who are harmonious are also the way of the world. To neutralize, heaven is in the ascendancy, and all things are nurtured. "The yin and yang will not be released, similar to the undeveloped joy, anger, sorrow and happiness; Yin and Yang intersect in equal parts, similar to the hair of joy, anger, sorrow and happiness. Therefore, the understanding of the center in time is different from the center of space, it is not a static point, but a joint point that is not centered in the middle of the change. Therefore, although in the four hours of the year, the equinoxes and solstices can be regarded as the two points of neutralization, these four points do not stop, and like any point in time, they are fleeting. The neutralization of the life of each life is not a certain point, but the harmony between yin and yang. This is the "middle of time", which is not the midpoint of time in the mathematical sense or the calendar sense, but the grasp of the sum in the middle. (See Wu Fei, 2020, pp. 74-82)
Therefore, the mismatch between four and five can be explained philosophically: in the sequence of five elements, the middle side of spatiality is given a very important position, but in the flow of time, this status is not absolute, it is always relative and changing, because the five elements are always understood in the framework of space-time, even those sequences of elements that are completely divisible by five.
This is the characteristic of all items that are compatible with the central soil. Sweetness is the lord of the five flavors (see "Spring and Autumn Yuan Life Buds"), fragrance is the lord of the five odors, "the earth has the air that neutralizes it, so the fragrance" (Xiao Ji, p. 149), the palace is the king of the five tones (see Zheng Xuan, p. 218), and the middle is the center of the room (ibid.), offering to the ancestors, and taking the heart as the respect of the five organs. These aspects all show the noble status of the central soil. Literature such as "Guanzi Four Hours", "Moon Order", Dong Zhongshu's "Spring and Autumn Dew" all emphasize the monarchy of the soil, and it is Emperor Yao who occupies the center in "Yaodian".
The great difference between the five elements and the four elements is that although earth is the most important and noble, it is still only one of the five elements, which can be born or conquered, and its central position is relative, not absolute. Wu Ji is to the Tiangan, the Yellow Emperor is to the Five Emperors, and the Houtu is to the officials of the Five Elements, and there is no exclusive position.
Therefore, from the perspective of the spatio-temporal structure of the five elements, we can understand the three-layer philosophical meaning of "zhong": first, the central soil in space is the natural starting point of each life subject, which is the primary meaning of Chinese philosophy as a philosophy of subjectivity. The emphasis on centering in the ligand system comes from this point in the first place; Second, the middle of time is fluid, and the value of propositions such as "moderation" and "time" lies in the harmony from the middle; Thirdly, the five-element colocation system, which places a lot of emphasis on the central position of the middle, but any median is not absolute, but relative, and is one of each sequence. represents each subject of life, which is the relative center, not the absolute center.
VI. Conclusions
The Five Elements Doctrine has many sources, but its basic structure is a combination of the spatio-temporal structure in the "Observation and Timing Teaching" and the order of the five elements in the "Five Elements Domain", and finally obtains its mature form in the "Moon Order". The spatio-temporal architecture has become more and more dominant, and all kinds of allocation schemes must be understood in this spatio-temporal framework, so the five-element system first shows a spatio-temporal philosophy, which is the life rhythm of the individual on the one hand, and the basic mode of establishing public space-time on the other hand. Therefore, as a theory to understand the composition of all things in nature, although it has long been replaced by natural science, as a philosophy of time and space, it not only still has its significance, but also can dialogue with the concept of time and space in Western philosophy and science, and help us think about the problems faced by modern human beings. In particular, the five-element space-time system can help us deepen our understanding of "zhong" in the Chinese philosophical tradition. In space, it is the starting point for any living subject to think about and understand the world; In terms of time, he should grasp the appropriate harmony and balance of yin and yang at every moment, "all the hair is in the middle of the festival", and the harmony is achieved from the middle. Therefore, each life body is both relative and a link in the system of natural beings, which is very different from the Western Descartesian philosophy of self-centered subjectivity.
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