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TheTheoryofFiveElementsThefiveelementsrefertowood,fire,earth,metalandwateraswellastheirmotionandchangesinthenaturalworld.Inthelongcourseoflivingandworking，theancientChinesepeoplecametounderstandthatthesefivecategoriesofsubstancesarethemostessentialonesindispensabletotheirexistence.五行，即指木，火，土，金，水，以及它们在自然界中的运动和变化。古人在长期的生活和生产实践中认识到这五类物质对他们存在是不可或缺的、最基本的。Thetheoryofthefiveelementsholdsthatallphenomenaintheuniversecorrespondinnatureeithertowood,fire,earth,metalorwater,andthattheseelementsareinastateofconstantmotionandchange.InTCM,thetheoryoffiveelementsisusedtogeneralizeandexplainthenatureofthezang-organsandfu-organs,theinterrelationsamongtheseorgansaswellastherelationbetweenhumanbeingsandthenaturalworld,thusguidingclinicaldiagnosisandtreatment.五行学说认为，宇宙中的一切现象都与木，火，土，金，水的性质一致，并处于不断运动和变化中。中医用五行学说来概括和解释脏与腑的性质，脏腑之间的相互关系和人类与自然界的关系一样。因此，五行学说指导了中医的临床诊断与治疗。Accordingtothistheory,everythinginnatureisattributedtooneofthefiveelements.Forinstance,woodischaracterizedbygrowingfreelyandperipherally.Soanythingwiththefunctionsofgrowinganddevelopingfreelyisattributedtothecategoryofwood.Fireischaracterizedbyflamingup.Therebyanythingwiththefunctionsofwarmingandrisingisattributedtothecategoryoffire.Earthischaracterizedbycultivationandreaping.Soanythingwiththefunctionsofgenerating,transforming,supportingandreceivingisattributedtothecategoryofearth.Metalischaracterizedbychange.Henceanythingwiththefunctionsofpurifying,descendingandastringingisattributedtothecategoryofmetal.Waterischaracterizedbymoisteninganddownwardflowing.Thereforeanythingwiththefunctionsofcooling,moisteningandmovingdownwardisattributedtothecategoryofwater.根据这一理论，自然界中的一切事物都可归属于五行。比如，木的特性被概括为“木曰曲直”.。因而凡具有生长、升发、条达舒畅作用或性质的事物，均归属于木；火的特性被概括为“火曰炎上”。因此凡具有温热、升腾作用的事物，均归属于火；土的特性被概括为“土爰稼穑”.。所以凡具有生化、承载、受纳作用的事物，均归属于土；金的特性被概括为“金曰从革”。因此凡具有清洁、肃降、收敛等的作用的事物，均归属于金；水的特性被概括为“水曰润下”所以凡具有寒凉、滋润、向下运行的事物，均归属于水。Themovementofthefiveelementsismainlycharacterizedbygeneration,restriction,subjugation,andcounter-restriction,andmutualinteractionbetweenmother-elementandchild-element.五行的运动特点主要是相生、相克、相乘、相侮和母子相及。Generationmeansthatonekindofobjectgenerates,strengthensorbringsforthanother,i.e.,woodgeneratesfire,firegeneratesearth,earthgeneratesmetal,metalgenerateswater,andwater,inturn,generateswood.Eachofthefiveelementsismarkedbysuchrelationsas“beinggenerated”and“generating”.Thisrelationshipofthefiveelementsistermedasthe“mother-child”relationship.Eachelementisthe“child”ortheelementthatgeneratesitandthe“mother”oftheoneitgenerates.Takewoodforexample.Sincewoodgeneratesfire,itisthemotheroffire:becausewoodisalsogeneratedbywater,soitisthe“child”ofwater.相生指这一事物对另一事物具有促进、助长和资生的作用。例如，木生火、火生土、土生金、金生水，反过来，水又生木。对于五行中的任何一“行”来说，都存在着“生我”和“我生”的关系。五行之间的这种关系被称为“母子”关系。每一行既是“我生”之“子”，又是“生我”之“母”。以木行为例，由于木生火，故木为火之“母”，而木由水生，则木又为水之“子”。Restrictionimpliesbringingundercontrolorrestraint.Therestrictingactivityamongthefiveelementsfollowsacircularorder:woodrestrictsearth,earthrestrictswater,waterrestrictsfire,firerestrictsmetal,andmetal,inturn,restrictswood.Inthiscircularorder,eachofthefiveelementsismarkedby“beingrestricted”and“restricting”.Forexample,theelementrestrictingwoodismetal,andtheelementthatisrestrictedbywoodisearth.相克即制约、克制之意。五行相克的次序是循环的，即木克土、土克水、水克火、火克金、金克木。在这种循环的次序中，任何一“行”都存在着“克我”和“我克”的关系。比如，木之“克我”者是金，而“我克”者则为土。Subjugationissimilartolaunchinganattackwhenacounterpartisweak.Itisanexcessiverestrictionamongthefiveelements.Forinstance,woodnormallyrestrictsearth.However,ifwoodisinexcess,itmayoverrestrictearthandbringsoninsufficiencyofearth,alsoknownaswoodsubjugatingearth.Theorderofsubjugationisthesameasthatofrestriction.Subjugationisnotanormalrestrictionbutaharmfulconditionoccurringunderabnormalcircumstances.相乘，似于以强凌弱。这是五行之间的克制太过。例如，通常是木克土。然而，当木过于强盛，则会克土太过，造成土的不足，即为“木亢乘土”。相乘的次序与相克的一样。相乘不是异常的相克而是发生在异常环境下一种有危害的情况。Counter-restrictionliterallymeansthatthestrongonebulliestheweak.Amongthefiveelementsitimpliesthatoneelementpreysanother.Itisamorbidconditioninwhichoneelementfailstorestricttheotherintheregularorder,butisrestrictedbytheotherinthereverseorder.Sotheorderofcounter-restrictionisjusttheoppositetothatofrestriction.Forexample,undernormalconditions,metalrestrictswood.Butwhenwoodisinexcessormetalisindeficiency,woodwillcounter-restrictmetalinsteadofbeingrestrictedbymetal,whichisknownas“woodcounter-restrictingmetal”.相侮，字面上就是以强欺弱。五行之中其意指一“行”对另一“行”的克制。病理情况下，一“行”不能按正常顺序克制另一“行”，反而被另一“行”转而反克。因此，相侮的次序与相克相反。例如，正常情况是金克木，但木偏盛或金不足，木不受金的克制，反而对金进行反克，称为“木亢侮金”。ThetheoryoffiveelementsreflectsaprimitiveconceptofmaterialismanddialecticsandhasplayedanactiveroleinpromotingthedevelopmentofnaturalsciencesinChina.Intheancienttimes,thistheorywasappliedtothefieldofmedicineandgreatlyinfluencedtheestablishmentanddevelopmentofthetheoreticalsystemofTCM,guidingtheclinicaltreatmentuptothepresenttime.五行学说体现了唯物论和辩证法的原始概念，在中国自然科学的发展中起到了积极的促进作用。在古代，这一理论被应用于医学领域，极大地影响了中医理论体系的建立和发展，时至今日，其依然指导着中医的临床治疗。WhenappliedtoTCM,thetheoryoffiveelementsisusedtoexplainbothphysiologicalfunctionsandpathologicalchangesandguideclinicaldiagnosisandtreatmentaccordingtothepropertiesofthefiveel