Uses of the Five Elements in East Asia

Transcription

1 BYU udies Quarerly Volume 6 Issue Aricle Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia pencer J. Palmer Follow his and addiional works a: hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Recommended Ciaion Palmer, pencer J. (965) "Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia," BYU udies Quarerly: Vol. 6 : Iss., Aricle. Available a: hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/ This Aricle is brough o you for free and open access by he All Journals a BYU cholarsarchive. I has been acceped for inclusion in BYU udies Quarerly by an auhorized edior of BYU cholarsarchive. For more informaion, please conac scholarsarchive@byu.edu, ellen_amaangelo@byu.edu.

2 Palmer: Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia uses of he five elemens in eas asia PENCER j PALMER cerain hemes have grea saying power known for heir endurance in ime as well as heir ransmission in space hus wih varying degrees of inensiy i has been possible for he ancien world o influence and guide ways of hinking and evens down o he presen in he wesern world i may be said ha greece and rome have exered a coninuous influence upon ar lieraure religion poliics and educaion As an example here has been a persisence of he idea of imperial power from charlemagne o mussolini some would bring his up o de gaulle despos have sough o engage he impelling image of rome s ancien glory hus charlemagne and frederick II hohen saufen wih sarling deviaion from conemporary arisic norms deliberaely porrayed hemselves on heir coinage as ancien caesars caesara and augususes Augus uses which hey were no he works of frederick he hireenh cenury emperor german bu ruling from sicily showed a self conscious ambiion o resore he power of rome and napoleon who on he coinage of his ime was dressed in incongruous oga and wreah was inspiredby inspiredlydby he same vision during he renaissance emulaion was a imes even more slavish as illusraed by he coins of galba AD 68 and francesco I da carrara a pey ruler of padua laer when charles II of england waned a symbol for briannia he commissioned a design from a coin igi of anoninus pius AD 866 igo he eagle as a symbol of naional pride derives from he roman sandard i appears on a coin of rajan on he seal of he unied saes of america and as he emblem of he german federaed republic in archiecure here is a winess of ancien hemes in such well known american buildings as jefferson s monicello in virginia and in he capiol capioi building in washingon he classical influence upon weson leave from brigham young universiy dr palmer is presiden of he LD mission in korea he had been seleced as firs direcor of he asian research insiue prior o his mission call ihese moifs are all beauifully illusraed in phoographs and painings in he birh of weern wesern civilizaion ed michael gran new york mcgraw hill book company 964 pp ap Published by BYU cholarsarchive, 965

3 BYU udies Quarerly, Vol. 6, Iss. [965], Ar. 24 BRIGHAM YOUNG universiy TUDIE ern poliical docrines and insiuions is generally recognized bu he classical conribuion in he realm of myh and lieraure alhough lesser known oday has been coninuous and widespread i ranges from he idea of he bull as a symbol of feriliy wha jack conrad in he horn and he sword says is he background of he modern spanish bullfigh o sophisicaed psychological heories such as narcissism and oedipus complex in he culural hisory of eas asia where preceden has been he leimoif he influence of classical hough has been profound and exensive indeed I hink i is safe o say ha is impac upon he radiions of china korea and japan has even exceeded in comprehensiveness he greco roman impac upon he wes alhough such an asserion is no really verifiable his aricle will sugges no circumscribe he social religious poliical and hisorical implicaions of one classical chinese heory known as wu wlu alu hsing usually ranslaed as he five elemens upon his heory in close associaion wih he so called yin yang heory he whole scheme of chinese philosophy is based he earlies menion of he wu hsing heory which involves he elemens of fire earh meal waer and wood as dynamic and ineracing agens or powers is an inscripion on a jade sword handle which may be daed no long afer 4 BC he primary locus classicus classicus for his ancien heory however is he grea plan secion of he shu ching or he book of hisory a book which laer became one of he five confucian classics his ex conains he record of a speech delivered o king wu of he chou dynasy BC by he viscoun of ch i a prince of he shang dynasy BC which king wu conquered a he end of he welfh cenury BC he viscoun had said ha when ruin overook he house of shang he would no be he servan of accordingly he refused o acknowledge he anoher dynasy sovereigny of wu who had neverheless made i possible for he learned chi o be delivered from prison and be invesed wih erriory now conneced wih norh korea where he repuedly esablished a dynasy beween he years 22 BC and see joseph needham science and civilizaion in china hisory hiswy hisiory scienific hough cambridge universiy press 956 II 242 of gha hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/ 2

4 Palmer: Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia THE FIVE ELEMENT IN EAT AIA BC surrounding he sie of presen day P pyongyang he viscoun apparenly fel consrained ou of couresy o appear a he cour of chou when he king ook he op- poruniy o consul wih him on he grea principles of governmen he resul was ha he communicaed he grea plan wih is nine divisions 4 hsing explained as follows he firs of hese was called wu he five elemens he firs is called waer he second fire he hird wood he fourh meal he fifh earh waer is said o soak and descend fire is said o blaze and ascend wood is said o curve or be sraigh meal is said o obey and change earh is said o ake seeds and give crops ha which soaks and descends produces salness ha which blazes and ascends produces bierness ha which curves or is sraigh produces sourness ha which obeys and changes produces acridiy ha which akes seeds and gives crops produces sweeness 5 in his quoaion he idea of wu hsing is sill crude in speaking of hem is auhor is obviously sill hinking in erms of acual subsances insead of absrac forces bearing hese names as hey came o be regarded laer on from his very inconspicuous beginning he five elemens heory gradually came o be associaed wih every conceivable caegory of hings in he universe he ables a he end of his aricle se hese forh As joseph needham has suggesed many of hese ramificaions were a naural oucome of he basic hypohesis iself he associaion of he elemens wih he seasons was obvious enough wha could have been more unavoidable han o link fire and summer and he souh he colors invied much speculaion since he cradle of chinese civilizaion was he land of yellow loess soil in he upper yellow river basin modern shansi and shensi ghensi hensi i is quie plausible o suppose ha for he cener ha color imposed iself hen whie in he wes would sand for he perpeual snows of he ibean massif wih green or blue in he eas finally for he ferile plains or he seemingly infinie ocean red in he souh may have aken is origin from he red soil of zechuan szechuan he region which lies jus souh of shensi ghensi and in korean hisory chi zul is known as kila kija james legge he chinese classics he shoo king or he book of hisorical documens london oxford universiy press 865 III 2 bernard karlgren he book of documens sockholm he museum of far easern aniquiies 95 p Published by BYU cholarsarchive, 965

5 BYU udies Quarerly, Vol. 6, Iss. [965], Ar. 26 BRIGHAM YOUNG universiy TUDIE shansi here are moreover large areas of red soil in yunnan cunnan bu several schools of scholars in china have conribued o he vas schema of correspondences beween he five powers and he phenomena of sociey hough poliics and moraliy hese have included he so called asronomical groups he nauraliss he yin yangiss and he agriculuraliss so ha wu hsing has become a significan force in he developmen of asronomy asrology he calendar he key social relaionships geomancy alchemy and he aois search for he elixir of life he wide ranging ramificaions of he five elemens heory are apparen hroughou eas asia even oday on he mos superficial level here is a conemporary children s game called sone earh scissors meal and cloh wood by which easy decisions can be reached sone wins over scissors scissors wins over cloh and cloh wins over sone his game repuedly sared wih he japanese bu he heory behind i is no doub an adapaion of he five elemens which were hough of as being muually friendly or anagonisic o each oher as follows waer produces wood bu desroys fire fire produces earh bu desroys meal meal produces waer bu desroys wood wood produces fire bu desroys earh earh produces meal bu desroys waer anoher indicaion of he pervasive impac of wu hsing in china korea and japan is found in conceps of ime in hese hree counries he names for he days of he week are a perpeual reminder of his fac he word sunday means lierally sun source day and monday means moon source day represenaive of he yin yang heory of correlaive opposiion beween ligh buoyance and generaion yang and recepiveness and calmness yin he oher five days of he week are associaed wih he heory of wu hsing uesday is fire source day wednesday is waer source day hursday is wood source day friday is meal source day and saurday is earh source day no only days of he week bu hours of he wu hsing and aois ideas of alchemy geomancy and medicine are elaboraed in homes welch he paring of he ulay way boson beacon press 957 pp ap f 5f hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/ 4

6 Palmer: Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia THE FIVE ELEMENT IN EAT AIA 27 day and he years in he cycle of sixy have been influenced by he five elemens heory 7 in korea he consrucion of names for he newly born is a fascinaing ar radiionally much influenced by wu hsing in mos korean families all he children of one generaion share he same middle characer name called sor yor forim hus sof im of he hree characers which usually comprise a person s name he firs being he surname only one is sricly peculiar o he individual he harmony of characers in he names of a well educaed family has a cerain beauy of is own bu supersiion may ener in he pracice of couning he number of srokes used in wriing a name and ensuring ha he oal is an auspicious number is no ofen admied o even if i is sill praciced bu he dreams of he moher or faher while he child is sill in he womb may be aken ino accoun generaion or middle names can be chosen on he basis of several heories some families base hem on he old chinese housand characer classic or he se of asronomical characers called he en heavenly sems by far he mos common basis for he selecion of generaion names is he cycle of he five elemens in one bonemp conemporary pary korean family he generaion characer racer is conneced wih he elemen of earh all he boys personal characers are conneced wih dayligh and heir order reflecs he sae of he sunligh a differen imes of he day 8 As a furher pracical illusraion of how he heory may be applied we will use he example of an unmarried korean suden presenly enrolled a brigham young universiy whose name is kim homin his young man s grea grandfaherg gaher s name is kim yong bong his middle name conains a symbol meaning wood he grandfaher s name is kim chae uk conaining earh he faher s name is kim ch ol jin meal he suden s name is kim homin waer and his infan he chinese sexagenary cycle can be hough of in he image of wo enmeshed cogwheels one having welve and he oher en eeh so ha no unil sixy combinaions have been made will he cycle repea he usual view of he so called en celesial sems is ha hey have been developed by combining he five elemens wih yin yang dualism ables giving he names and affiniies of he en celesial sems and he welve branches or horary characers along wih oher relevan daa for showing he chinese cyclical characer sysem in erms of he wesern calendar are found in mahews chinese english dicionary cambridge harvard universiy press 956 p 76ff 76f richard ru korean works and days noes from he diary of a counry pries ruland v charles E ule company 964 pp ap Published by BYU cholarsarchive, 965 5

7 BYU udies Quarerly, Vol. 6, Iss. [965], Ar. 28 BRIGHAM YOUNG universiy TUDIE nephew s name is kim song chan jire fire fife in hese five generaions we have cognizance of he cycle of he five elemens wood earh meal waer and fire in ha order he heory of he five elemens enered ino social maers fully as much as personal ones hroughou eas asia in case of prospecive marriage he five elemens were called in shuffled and consuled in order o deermine wheher wo young people could expec a compaible life ogeher since he ime of each person s birh is ruled by a given elemen i was a maer of maching hese elemens so as o provide an auspicious siuaion if a young man whose elemen was wood was maed o a meal girl he would suffer as wood does from ax and saw and chisel if he were married o a fire girl nohing bu oal desrucion would awai him earh and waer were he only safe elemens wih which wood could mae domesic happiness was ofen explained in erms of he heory of he five elemens poliics and he cyclical heory of hisory perhaps he mos subsanive conribuion of wu hsing in eas asian radiion has been in he area of pracical poliics and he philosophy of hisory his developmen sars wih who lived sou yen he faher of he five elemens school in he fourh cenury BC sou yen followed evens in he rise and fall of ages recorded heir omens and insiuions and exended his survey backward in ime when heaven and earh had no ye been born o wha was profound and absruse and no o be examined by making ciaions of he revoluions and ransformaions of he five powers he was influenial in he developmen of a new philosophy of poliics and hisory changes mus be inerpreed in accordance wih ransformaions of he five elemens he deails of his heory are reaed in one secion of a ex called lu shih ch un chiiu chiau 9 his work saes XIII 2 whenever an emperor or king is abou o arise heaven mus firs manifes some favorable omen o he common A congenie congerie of riual racs prescribing seasonal aciviies of legalis and aois heorizing and conaining a number of legends and anecdoes insered o illusrae pol poins ans of docrine radiionally his work was compiled under he paronage of lu pu wei d BC a rich merchan who had befriended he chin prince whose son became ruler of all china as chin shih huang i see james rober highower opics in chinese lieraure cambridge harvard universiy press 962 p 9 hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/ 6

8 Palmer: Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia THE FIVE ELEMENT IN EAT AIA 29 people in he ime of he yellow emperor heaven firs made huge earhworms and mole crickes appear he yellow emperor said he force of soil is in ascendance herefore he assumed yellow as his color and ook soil as he paern for his affairs in he ime of yu founder of he hsia dynasy legendary daes 225 BC o 88 BC heaven firs made grass and rees appear which did no die in he auumn and winer yu said he force of wood is in ascendancy herefore he assumed green as his color and ook wood as he paern for his affairs in he ime of T ang founder of he shang dynasy radiional daes 766 BC o 54 BC heaven made some knife blades appear in he waer T ang said he force of meal is in ascendancy he herefore assumed whie as his color and ook meal as he paern for his affairs in he ime of king wen founder of he chou dynasy radiional daes of 22 BC o 255 BC heaven made a flame appear while a red bird holding a red book in is mouh alighed on he alar of soil of he house of chou king wen said he force of fire is in ascendancy herefore he assumed red as his color and ook fire as he paern of his affairs whaever will ineviably be he nex force ha will succeed fire heaven will firs make he ascendancy of waer manifes he force of waer being in ascendancy black will be assumed as is color and waer will be aken as he paern for affairs when he cycle Is is complee he operaion will rever once more o soil he yin yang school mainained ha he five elemens produce one anoher and also overcome one anoher in a fixed sequence i also mainained ha he sequence of he four seasons accords wih his process of he muual producion of he elemens hus wood which dominaes spring produces fire which dominaes summer fire in is urn produces soil which dominaes he cener soil again produces meal which dominaes auumn meal produces waer which dominaes winer and waer again produces wood which dominaes spring according o he above quoaions from he li lii lsi lbs feih shih feig chun cau chiu cah he succession of dynasies likewise accords wih he naural succession of he elemens hus earh under whose power he yellow emperor ruled was overcome by he wood Published by BYU cholarsarchive, 965 7

9 BYU udies Quarerly, Vol. 6, Iss. [965], Ar. BRIGHAM YOUNG universiy TUDIE of he hsia dynasy he wood of his dynasy was overcome by he meal of he shang dynasy meal was overcome by he fire of he chou dynasy and fire would in is urn be overcome by he waer of whaever dynasy was o follow he chou he waer of his dynasy would hen again be overcome by he soil of he dynasy following hus compleing he cycle alhough wu hsing was bu a heory i soon aferwards had is effec in pracical poliics and evenually in he paern of chinese hisory china s earlies general hisory he shih chi ciji riki or records of he hisorian wrien around BC by ssu ma chien bc inauguraed he series of weny 45 BC o ca 9 BC bcd four chinese dynasic hisories and has served as he model for subsequen official hisories wrien in korea and japan chaper 28 of his hisory is of grea imporance for he relig- ious lous hisory of ancien china i also conains vial informaion ramificaions of he five elemens heory as on he poliical ancienly undersood a an indeerminae ime in chinese hisory here was a series of five emperors radiional daes 2852 BC o 2255 BC who succeeded hree augus personages from he shih chi we learn ha by 77 BC he people associaed wih he small sae of chin which became he foundaion for BC conquered all he rival feudal saes and hus creaed a unified he firs chinese empire were already acquained wih he heory of he legendary five emperors and he five elemens according o his heory he four direcions and he cener are bound by a sor of magic paricipaion in he five elemens and five colors and hey are ruled by five emperors and five colors he five elemens were bound o direcions and colors as follows green emperor wood eas red emperor fire souh yellow emperor earh cener whie emperor meal wes black emperor waer norh in he year 22 BC he firs emperor of he chin dynasy known as chin shih huang i 2462 sien cf edouard chavannes lef les lff lej minoires memoires Memo Mino lyes yes ryes hisoriques hisonques giffon de sseu seseu ma Tsieii 5 vols paris he bes monographic reamen of ssu ma chien available in i n english descar describing he form and conen of his work and indicaing somehing of is imporance in chinese hisory is buron wason sfa ssu su ma chien grand hisorian nj of china new york columbia universiy press max kalenmark religion and poliics in he china of he Ts in and han diogenes no 4 summer hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/ 8

10 Palmer: Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia THE FIVE ELEMENT IN EAT AIA chinese empire under he chin As he successor o he chou dynasy he acually believed ha he force of waer is in ascendancy and so according o ssu ma chien assumed black as his color and ook waer as he paern for affairs he name of he yellow river says he hisorical records was changed o ha of power waer because i was supposed o mark he beginning of he power of waer wih harshness and violence and an exreme severiy everyhing was decided by law for by punishing and oppressing by having neiher human hearedness nor kindness bu only by conforming o sric jusice here would come an accord wih he five powers ghin ch dynasy in par because of is legalisic severiy he chin did no las long and was soon succeeded by he han 26 BC AD 22 he han emperors also believed ha hey had become emperors by virue of one of he five powers bu here was considerable dispue as o which of he powers i was a he ime of he founding of he han when kao zu he firs emperor was sill a commoner he once killed a grea snake whereupon a spiri appeared and announced his snake was he son of he whie emperor and he who killed him is he son of he red emperor when kao zu firs began his uprising he offered prayers a an alar of soil in he ciy of feng and afer he had won conrol of he disric of P ei and become is governor he sacrificed o he warrior yui and anoined his drums and flags wih he blood of he sacrifice during he second year of his reign god chih yu 25 BC kao zu inquired wha deiies he chin rulers had worshipped was old ha here had been sacrifices o four deiies worshipped in heir sacrifices o he lords on high and whie he green he yellow and he red emperors bu I have heard ha here are five emperors in heaven said kao zu why is i ha he chin rulers wor shipped only four when no one was able o offer an explanaion he kao zu replied I know he reason hey were waiing for me o come and complee he five yu lan quoed in fung yulan york he macmillan co 96 pp he accordingly se up a place A shor hl hisory lory of chinese philosophy new ap 5 8 HOH 8 H 58 for or wor an engrossing discussion of arisic represenaions of his long cheng gheng Tek k un chih yu he god of war in k lasing deiy of han imes see han ar orienal ar IV no 2 summer Published by BYU cholarsarchive, 965 9

11 BYU udies Quarerly, Vol. 6, Iss. [965], Ar. 2 BRIGHAM YOUNG universiy TUDIE of worship for he black emperor called he alar of he norh wih officials appoined o carry ou is sacrifices 4 also in he reaise on he calendar of he same work occurs he following enry kl he han came o power kao zu said he holy place of he norh waied for me o give i honor he hough ha he oo had obained he favorable presage of he virue of waer hus i can be assumed ha kao zu considered himself as he black emperor and ha consequenly he han dynasy in is beginnings reigned by virue of waer following he han dynasy here was a lapse of ineres in he five elemens as a poliical heory ye as lae as 9 when he las dynasy was brough o an end by he chinese republic under sun ya sen he official ile of he emperor was sill emperor hrough he mandae of heaven and in accordance wih he movemen of he five powers h hi s informaion occurs in he discussion of he feng and shan sacrifices in buron wason records of he grand giand hisorian of china new york columbia universo universiy i press 96 II chavannes moires memohei hisoriques hffonquef III 28 hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/

12 Palmer: Uses of he Five Elemens in Eas Asia THE FIVE ELEMENT Zic IN 2 EAT AIA ca c4 asla j NUMBER TATE ahms aso sho oo 8 7 r 5 o o- o6 fr ch5 chu luw kua mma n chou alom 5 glom 5 chg lle yen gle egl ON CORRELAT Z agns dragon c heme hare 5fc serpen monkey s c e c ra s ca lug cyc o ss ox ng ch gag n r hea pera emo bao mao duodenary ga g2 ma s b & issu & chouy & mlle mlee shen & ch an akl ger all s s & gogl boar mogag Q horse agg dog sheep e logs cock goll he - BRANCHE s and denary agns s p HEAVENLY lae zu kle vf j ha n y wu hs we ca nc TEM UJ le ng K lag cyc yu hs sel kue mel gal kan M ch 5 a ng keng en wu C ch p YMBOL zal THE awa s sh - v MELL ng C geml goa i iburn ch W WEATHER LLJ PLANET E ibod mos los absing u chen w ll PALACEia nd hunder d n iw s co ra ler er lel 2 mercury aea jup mea sars 2 waks mars walm saurn J venus ems ons emm a o bonse conse 2 earh B u moon mue sun mee 5 b L hs C fc dragon y CQ dragon D gel ger L Q fragran on roen OC c T ranki jams TAR baua mung kung zung rd ow e or warr sombre maeke azure verm ye wh i K TATE ck swe d i aar acr er swee mger sour meel biaer i sa U r H u c w 2228 ell 52 ela 4 umm hs 22 NAL 8- NT V sab ual oc CARD PO5 Q veaon ca. ELEMENT LLJ lla LLJ g fang eas g ng h sh ng B hs r mpr souh summer auumn cener s wes borh rorh 5 ellk & i i w cac beed wood beel Fi re earh 5 Z 5 mea V waer o n ul NOTE amm CAL aum OT mab MU mal Y en gho nv av ELEMENT uel lel hs ng h glo ch sems kung mems cho wood f rel earh shang mea yu waer Published by BYU cholarsarchive, 965

13 BYU udies Quarerly, Vol. 6, Iss. [965], Ar BRIGHAM YOUNG z universiy Cz CA TUDIE H ca c4 insrumens compasses e gas ghs measures els nes elm gem umb ehmi ch we Hp ba squares ances VE ul 2 ECT I aar afr 2 TATE ell lla chh j J E re a sorrow anger oy ulm des fear V COLOR asu ssu aau cc green E s kmie dar TR ure a PART lda i aag cap agg N cu ce M PU war agr wal mar war mak amsl jus amsk ow e mcl ack mls red ye wh b awl zge he zwe works r9 sg ORGAN ENE ongue a sean kuan semn kak eye kul u ca c7 q mouh c nose eese eeme LLJ THE aam si bed ood bel b ha OF BODYgcja j es oe CO emsl & lal ear ai r marrow fo se pu lmh esh f u sk as lasn bones ax5x OF I s TYLE governmen cheng axed ay iy N luc CAL awl T Y moer nour moel HUMAN PYCHO icecf PHY F demeanour aas FUN cas demea 9 7.7r yang NYANG Y 2h ah M RULER CLAE sh ghened x careful c energe re en qu s on v hough speech e ng hear CERAP V sang lem een kem fengs ungs sp Fsj n n kes CE wool door gogl dwar ACR emer nner v emel agu U aamg N 7 P hear cour hearh lo mmel nner sgra whea e beans hemp or greaer or er ku c v kan pan lan q- a cv Em melk ance mell n or ba Y n Y n grea lang yang aang Y nn lesser a Hs breahs greahs or yang yang equa amna yang esser Y n Y n Chou lae dyn mke pre lle Grea wangchou lre llor glor V waeg Wang T khe hwo he hgo yu mee wen mke huang huang C DOMET h AN MAL ian5 sheng g u em wem sheep J e Em c s edoj leka OJ lela k goul cour ouer g abb fow abng ox usg dog OF MAL YA lam s man emm s ji b i mamma s E covered inverebraes he kle hang sh n eam cl cal ousshang mel ang gel T omm ous oem n ch ch T s sf NG V L j chung y feahered a naked ska mcm j o ry ha na n ver we p shl she sll nverebraes sv V ELEMENT hseng hslng wood F re earh mea waer lla LLJ hs ng iwood F re rh i meawaer ea ELEMENT hps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol6/iss/ 2