通过东西方文化对比认识中医“象”的特点

Features of Xiang in Chinese medicine obtained by comparing western culture with Chinese culture

在西方文化中,现象是由物质实体或空间结构决定的特定时空条件下的表现。中国文化中的"象"是关于实体、属性和关系的综合概括,具有物我合一、现象与本质相融、自然、整体、时序特性和物象、具象、意象3个不同层次。在"象"思维引导下建立起来的中医五脏是时序模型,而不是解剖实体。

In western culture,phenomena are manifestations decided by material substance or space structure in a special time and space.Xiang in Chinese culture,with a similar meaning as phenomena,is a comprehensive summary of substances,attributes and relationships.The features of Xiang include nature,integrity,time series,the union of nature and human beings,and the union of phenomena and their essence.There are three level of meaning in the concept of Xiang,which are concreted Xiang,abstracted Xiang and conceptualized Xiang.The theory of Five Zang in Chinese medicine established by the concept of Xiang is a time series model rather than an anatomical entity.