董仲舒五行学说论

On Dong Zhongshu’s Five Elements Theory

现存文献中,《春秋繁露》第一次详尽阐述出木、火、土、金、水五行的位次、相互关系及其推演的逻辑与过程。五行的排列并不是任意随便的,木是五行之始,水为五行之终结,土则是五行之核心,这是一种"天次之序"。五行之间,按照木、火、土、金、水的排列,渐次而生,顺位而成,同时,间隙相胜,隔位而尅。五行的相生、相胜是自然世界和人类社会共同的法则,遵从这一法则与否,便形成五行之顺与逆,大量的自然现象、政事历史已经证验了顺逆五行的不同结果。五行也会通过紊乱、无序的变异征兆来反映天意、天志。但自然现象的变异,原因又并不在天,而完全在于人,是政事的失策、治理的不当、伦常的无序所造成的。土在五行之中,虽不名一方,也不占一时,但的确能够统摄、领导五行世界里所有一切。董仲舒五行学说的根本目的是要论证现实伦常的合理性。五行可以与貌、言、视、听、心之五事,与春、夏、秋、冬之四时相对应。五行与五事、哲学与现实之间互因互果,双向连动,循环诠释。

According to the existing literature, it is for the first time that the order of wood, fire, earth, gold and water as well as their interrelation, deductive logic and process are elaborated in Chunqiu Fanlu. The order of the five elements is not arranged at random. Wood is the beginning of the five elements, water the ending and earth the core. The order of them comes into being in turn-wood, fire, earth, gold and water. The adjacent two elements makes them strong and the ones at intervals restrain them on the contrary. That the five elements beget to each other and make them strong mutually is a common law of natural world and human society. To obey or not to obey the law lead to the good times and bad times directly according to the five elements theory. This has been proved by a large amount of natural phenomena and political history. And the five elements can also reflect god＇s will through confused and disordered omen of variation. But it is not god but human being who gives rise to the variation of the natural pfienomena. That is to say, the wrong political tactics, improper management and confused rituals result in the variation. Though earth in the five elements is unremarkable, it does dominate everything. The basic goal of Dong Zhongshu＇s five elements theory is to demonstrate the rationality of the real rituals. The five elements correspond to the five items of the appearance, words, vision, hearing and heart of a man and the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter of a year. The five elements and five items, each can be used to explain the other one. And this principle is also true to philosophy and reality.