1. 同一物件(object)可能同時有幾種元素,人本身含金、木、水、火、土,則人本身算什麼?電腦本身用電(火),但配件用金屬做(金),軟件/電腦是不停運作的(水),而軟件本身建基在數學(木);電腦有結構(土),五行該用什麼元素來歸類?用什麼條件來決定一件物件的五行屬性?是功用、構做、元素、行為?電腦在經驗上是屬火(因此和我相沖,我的電腦是最常出問題的一部),為什麼電腦屬火而不是屬金?
同理,視朝代如物件,為什麼宋是屬木?因為宋字中有木?在一個朝代中,屬金、木、水、火、土的人都有,而皇帝也不一定是屬木的(宋太祖),我們指宋屬木,金朝屬金,是不是因為它的名字?還是宋朝喜用木做武器,金朝用金屬?(則宋當然輸了)元朝為什麼屬火?(無限量擴展國土的行為?成吉思汗屬火?)我們是每一朝都是用統一的原則,還是各朝用不同的原則?原 則怎定?是事後隨便加上去,還是有一套自圓其說的理論?
(明屬水的證據:推背圖的「水清終有竭」)
2. 五行尚有量的考慮,如何量度?大水方可制大火,小水不能制大火,太大的火會把小水都燒乾,太重的水會把細火(及生命之火)完全消耗;木生火,火有小木會興旺,太多的木會把火分散;火生土,太多土可減弱火勢(可以用土或水來救火,水直接和火的峰頭對抗,土則是把火無限擴展、消耗),小土可助大火,免其過盛。
3.因為五行中不存在沒有關係的兩個元素,因此詮釋的空間太大,何種為真?
例如:金生水,金被火剋,金由土生,金可剋木;金遇木,是不是木一定被金所傷?
4. 同一屬性可能有自相矛盾的地方,水同樣是保守,亦同時代表靈活,一個人如何又保守又靈活?水的特性表現在人的心理/行為上有它本身的矛盾;同理,火代表發展、攻擊性、上進心、發明、原則,發明者一定會思想相當靈活,靈活不是水的 特色?火又講原則,原則不又是和靈活矛盾嗎?
解決了以上問題,方能構成一套完整的思想系統。
The problem in the theoretical framework of Five-Elements hypothsis in Chinese culture
1. How do we define an object as belonging to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? What attributes do we take from an object as a defining attribute? For instance, computer is made of metal but require electricity to operate(Fire), yet the software and programs it run is base on Mathematics(wood) while it also posses structure(soil) and in state of constant change(water). Do we use an object's function, structure, mode of operation, what it made of or what it require to operate to differentiate the category it belong to in Five-Elements hypothesis? Also, does human body belong to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? How about dynasty, do we simply define by its name?
2. The quantitative issue. What is heavy and what is weak and how do we differentiate it? Heavy Fire could vaporize a small pond of water, Great amount of soil could put out a small fire, small amount of soil can't protect from great flood, small amount of soil can actually aid Great Fire because it prevent it from exhaust itself too readily, small metal knife can't chopped down a large tree... etc.
3. Too big a room for interpretation. Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood all are related to each other one way or another, there never exists two elements that bear no relationship. For instance, Metal bear
Water while melted by Fire, Metal come from Soil as mineral, Metal could chop Wood. What happen then when Metal encounter Wood? How do we know which is the most accurate interpretation?
4. Some attributes of Five elements appear to be self-contradictory. For instance, Water is known to be conservative, flow downward as stabilizer in cement, while Water is also associated with fluid and flexibility, so which is which? Fire is known to be expanding, growing upward, creative; yet it is also associated with stubbornness and arrogance. again which is which?
Unless all those questions are sorted out, otherwise we can't expect Five-Elements hypothesis to offer much value to humanity or Chinese culture.