Hello everyone, last time we talked about the concepts and evolution of the five elements. This time, we will focus on the basic content of the five elements. It will be introduced in two aspects. The first aspect is to talk about five elements' attribute relationship among things and phenomena. The second aspect is to talk about the interpromotion and interrestraint of the five elements. At first, let's have a look at the relationship diagrams between the five elements which we showed you at the end of last lesson and see how do things and phenomena have connections by the properties of the five elements. We will illustrate this diagram from three levels. First, we will have a look at the connections between the law of seasons, directions, climate, life, colors, taste, timbre and the attribute of five elements. For instance, spring is the season when all things break out and germinate. And it has a character of ascending and free development, which coincide with "wood" in the five elements. Both the sun and the moon are rising in the east. And the wind has unsteady shape. It's able to stoop or stand erect which coincide to the character of "wood". These, all these can be classified as "wood" in the five elements. Similarly, climate in south China is relatively hotter. Summer is the season of intense heat and the paddy is of the strongest growth. And these all coincide with the red "fire" in the five elements. Then you can study and comprehend the rest content in the same manner. Then, the second level, we will have a look at the components of the function of human body. And the l inks between emotional activity, main pulse condition and body fluid and the five elements. Take human body's visceral organs as an example. Liver belongs to "wood". Liver and gallbladder are a pair of Zang-Fu viscera. And there are close connections between these two organs. In the meantime, liver governs tendons, which opens at the eyes. Therefore, gallbladder, tendons and eyes all belong to "wood". So traditional Chinese medicine regards the main function of "liver" as to dredge the qi movement of the whole body. Hence, it can regulate human being's emotional activity and promote digestion, blood operation and water metabolism. Liver-qi governs ascend, and is interior-exteriorly related with gallbladder. So liver and gallbladder are all belong to the "wood". Similarly, the earth's core belongs to the "fire", and heart is interior-exteriorly related with the small intestine. These two are closely lined. Then, heart governs pulse and opens at the tongue. Therefore, small intestine, pulse and tongue all fall into the "fire". Spleen pertains the earth, while it is interior-exteriorly related with the stomach. Spleen governs flesh and opens at the mouth. Therefore, stomach, flesh and mouth all belong to the "earth". Lung pertains to the metal, while it is interior-exteriorly related with the large intestine. Meanwhile, lung the lung is in charge of the hair and skin, and nose is orifice to Lung, Therefore, large intestine, skin and nose all belong to the "metal". Kidney belongs to the "water", and bladder is interior-exteriorly related to kidney. Kidney is in charge of bone, and opens at ears, the genitals and anus. So, bladder, bones, ears, the genitals and anus all pertain to the "water". These all indirect derivations. Then from the perspective of the third level is, the seasons, directions, climate, law of life activities, colours, flavours and timbres are closely linked to the components of functions of human body, emotional activities, main pulse condition and body fluid by the attributes of the five elements. Then, for instance, climate in North China is cold, especially in winter. Landscape all covers by snow, and everything is hidden from the outside world, which presents the character of the "water". Correspondingly, kidney, bladder, deep pulse in pulse condition and fear in emotional activities all have such kind of character. Therefore, human's these organs, emotional activities and physiological phenomena together with winter, coldness and black colour are closely linked. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine thinks that eating black sesame and black soya beans will do good to the maintenance of kidney. And fear will do bad to kidney. Accordingly, avoiding too much "fear" can protect kidney. In the system of the five elements, A book called Plain Questions: Yin and Yang Theory has mentioned that the wind derives from the east, the wood from the wind, the acid from the wood, the liver from the acid and the tendon from the liver. when in heaven, it is wind; when in the land, it is wood; when in the body, it is tendon; when in viscera, it is liver; when in colours, it is dark; when in timbres, it is skin. when in voice, it is yelling; when in changes, it is grasping; when in orifice, it is eye; when in flavour, it is acid; when in emotion, it is anger. In the original text, the "birth" to wind and the wood, here birth means inner connections. Just like that, theory of the five elements classify everything into five types. Things of each type have certain connections. Therefore, theory of the five elements prove the unity of human being and natural environment. OK, let's shift to the second topic now. The second topic is the interpromotion and interrestraint of the five elements Theory of the five elements not only discusses the attributes and characteristics of things, which simply classifies them into five types, more importantly is to explain the inner relations of each things in the complicated system by the mutual promotion and restraint between the five elements. And mechanism of unity, completeness and self-control presented based on these connections. Then,what does the mutual promotion and restraint between the five elements mean? It means that among different things, two basic relations exist. In the five elements, these two basic relations are illustrated as mutual promotion and restraint. So-called mutual promotion means one thing can be promoted, encouraged and bred by things of other types. To be simple, it means one thing has positive impact upon the other thing. Ancient thinkers found that there is a common phenomenon in the nature world in practice. One thing always appeared after the emergence of the other. And it would be influenced by the other. Therefore, combined the knowledge of the five elements, they summarized and had the theory of the mutual promotion of the five elements. The book Chunqiu Leaming- Theory of the Five Elements reads that There are five elements in the world-wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Wood breeds fire; fire breeds earth; earth breeds metal; metal breed water. Water is winter, metal autumn, earth late summer, fire summer and wood spring. Spring governs germination; summer governs growth; late summer governs recuperation; autumn governs harvest and winter governs storage. Four seasons-spring, summer, late summer, autumn and winter, and germination, growth, recuperation, harvest, storage during a year all present the mutual promotion relation of the five elements. Therefore,the Inner Canon of Huangdi emphasizes that the five elements should have orders and four seasons have their own timing. There exits similar phenomena like this in life activities, which belong to normal phenomena of nature or life activities. Depending on this positive promotion, nature can have luxuriant view and life activities can be full of vigor. So what is the rule and order of the mutual promotion of the five elements? Wood breeds fire, followed by fire breeding earth, earth breeding metal, metal breeding water and water breeding wood again. Therefore, a cycle system is formed. Then, mutual restraint mutual restraint is called mutual resistance. It means one kind of things can restrain and control the other kind of things. In short, one thing can have negative impact upon the other thing. Ancient thinkers found the mutual promotion of nature world, in the meantime, they realized there existed a common phenomenon of the contrast attribute. That is, one thing always would be hold back by others. Therefore, they concluded this common phenomenon into the mutual restraint theory of the five elements. In Plain Questions, Lie Ru pointed out that if metal is added to wood, it would descend; if water is added to fire, it would extinguish; if wood is added to earth, it would lost its power; when fire is added to metal, it would decrease; if earth is added to water, it would die out. All these happen to everything in nature. This all belongs to the common phenomenon in nature and life activities. So he said it was common in everything. Thanks to this kind of restraint, nature and life activities can be full of vigour in normal situations, and won't be over-stimulation which will be harmful. So what is the rule and order of the mutual restraint of the five elements? That is, wood restricts earth; earth restricts water; water restricts fire; fire restricts metal and metal restricts wood. The ancients once summarized the order of mutual restraint in the five elements as "Elements next to each other are mutual promoted, while every other position, elements are of mutual restraint. We can see in the diagram of the five elements. So-called "bi" means in close proximity, which indicates the order of wood, fire, earth, metal and water is mutual promoted. So-called "jian" means that in the order of mutual promotion, every one position, the elements are restricted. So how to comprehend the mutual relations of mutual restraint in the five elements? The theory of the Five Elements holds the view that mutual promotion and mutual restraint among things are not one and the only one, but have close connections. It presents in the generation within restriction. Only like this can nature world maintains its ecological balance and human body maintains its physiological stability. Therefore, Diagrams of Classified Canon mentions that The function of thing cannot exist without promotion and restriction. Without promotion, there wouldn't be any development. Without restriction, over-stimulation would be harmful. Then, we will look at the over-restriction and reverse restriction of the five elements. What does the over-restriction and reverse restriction of the five elements mean? It mainly means abnormal mutual restrictions. Over-restriction means the excessive mutual restriction of the five elements. Under normal circumstances, one element in the five elements can restrict the other element. But this kind of restriction has a certain limit. Beyond a certain limit, one element would have excessive restriction to the other element. And this will lead to a series of abnormal reactions, which are called over-restriction. Restriction itself has a meaning of oppressing the weak side. Reverse restriction means if the five elements are restricted in a reverse way, it will be harmful. It indicates an abnormal situation of mutual restraint. Normally, one element is restricted and control by other element. Such as wood is restricted by metal, while earth is restricted by wood. However, when power of the five elements becomes abnormal, sometimes the opposite situation would happen. Wood is no longer restricted by metal, but restricts metal on the contrary. Earth is no longer restricted by wood, but restricts wood on the contrary. Abnormal mutual restrictions like these are called reverse restriction or restriction in the opposite direction. Therefore, over-restriction and reverse restriction all belong to abnormal mutual restrictions in the five elements. The function of both is in opposite directions. Over-restriction is restricted excessively according to the order of mutual restriction, while reverse restriction is abnormal restriction contrast to the order of mutual restriction. In the process of life activities, both over-restriction and reverse restriction belong to pathology. Then there are two kinds of reasons for the abnormal mutual restriction of the five elements which leads to over- restriction and reverse restriction. One is the excessive flourishing of one element which leads to the over restriction to the element restricted by it, which directly causes its weakness so that the promotion and restriction become abnormal. For instance, if wood is too vigorous, it will have excessive restriction to earth. Then it will cause the deficiency of earth. This is called the over-restriction of wood to earth. Then, another one is wood is too vigorous, although it should be restricted by metal, metal not only lack the power to restrict wood, but is restricted by wood. This called reverse restriction of wood to metal. These situations presented in the process of life activities are the positivist pathological change of over-stimulated function. Another situation is that one element itself is too weak, which can also leads to over-restriction and reverse restriction. Because of the weakliness of one element, it has little power to restrict the other element, which means it is easily restricted by the other element. For example, lack of metal always leads to wood is so powerful that metal is restricted by it. This is called deficiency of metal and over restriction of wood. On the other part, if one element is weak, it is easily be over-restricted by the element that controls it. Like the deficiency of earth would easily result in the over restricted by wood. It is also called deficiency of earth and reverse restriction of wood. These situations would manifest as a kind of pathological change-syndrome of deficiency presented as insufficiency. Both over-restriction and reverse restriction are abnormal mutual restrictions. There are differences and connections between these two. Differences lie in that over restriction is excessive restricted according to the order of the five elements. While reverse restriction is abnormal restriction in reverse order of the five elements. Their connections lie in that when over restriction happens, sometimes reverse restriction appears, too. While reverse restriction happens, sometimes over restriction appears. For example, if wood is powerful enough, it can not only over restricted earth, but reverse restricts metal. When deficiency of metal happens, it would not only be reverse restricted by wood, but over restricts by fire. Over restriction and reverse restriction always happen together. Therefore, in Plain Questions- Five Operations, there reads that, if qi is excessive, it would over restrict one element and reverse restrict the other element. if qi is not enough, it would fail to restrict one element and be over restricted by others. if it is excessive, it would easily restrict other elements. In a word, we can see the rule of mutual restriction of the five elements from this diagram Water, fire, earth, metal and water are mutually promoted in a circle in order. Water, earth, water, fire and metal are mutually restricted in a circle in order. So, these five elements both have mutual promotion and mutual restriction. Then, a relatively stable system is formed. Our course about the theory of the five elements is over now. Next course, we will talk about the thought of the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine.
