Wuxing and Compatibility Coefficient: Part I

Wuxing (五行) is a very fundamental concept in Chinese fate calculation. Some scholars believe that wuxing originates from the planetary motion of the five planets visible to the naked eyes, namely Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

In the Chinese literature, the term wuxing first appeared in a war declaration when Qi (启), the second King of the Xia Dynasty, was preparing to launch a war on the tribe of You Hu (有扈).
Shang Shu: Gan Shi (The Declaration of Gan)《尚书·甘誓》: The tribe of You Hu insulted the wuxing and muddled the correct calendrical order. It is the heaven will that they must be destroyed. I am now to dutifully carry out my heavenly duty to punish them. (有扈氏威侮五行，怠弃三正，天用剿绝其命，今予惟恭行天之罚。)
In this text, the term wuxing was not defined. It is possible that the author of the declaration meant to use the term wuxing in its planetary sense or `heaven' in general. The first discussion of Wuxing can be found in Hong Fan (洪范).

When Ji Fa (姬发) destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he had a conversion with an old Shang official named Qi Zi (萁子) on how to rule a nation. Shang Shu: Hong Fan (The Great Laws) 《尚书·洪范》is the record is that discussion. The book was probably compiled during the Spring-Autumn period.
Shang Shu: Hong Fan (The Great Laws)《尚书·洪范》: Wuxing: The first is water, the second is fire, the third is wood, the fourth is metal, and the fifth is earth. Water is characterized by downward flowing moist, fire by upward flowing flame, wood grows vertically, metal is moldable, the earth permits the growth of crops. (五行：一曰水，二曰火，三曰木，四曰金，五曰土。水曰润下，火曰炎上，木曰曲直，金曰从革，土爰稼穑。)
It is in the Book of Hong Fan (洪范) that the elemental characteristics of wuxing is first explained. It is quite clear that wuxing is treated as matter or substance here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

「日上三竿」到底是早上多少點？

Image
從吉打 Lembah Bujang 布央谷開車回家，經過怡保的時候剛好是晚餐時間。 在麥當勞用過晚餐後，發現開車的我好像也有點睏了，於是決定在怡保睡一覺。我們把車開到 Bandar Meru Raya ，然後跟 Casuarina 要了一間房間。 隔天早我見小兒子辛円睡到很遲還不願意起床，就拿起手機給他照了一張相 1 。 原想給照片標上：阿円睡到日上三竿 2 ，大太陽曬屁股還不起身。但，住在我頭腦裡面的另外一個人問我： 三竿 到底是 : 點？ The timestamp of the photograph was 9:12:09 morning (28 May 2017). The explanation given by National Academy for Educational Research of Taiwan 台灣國家教育研究院 is：太陽已上升到 三根 竹竿相接的 高度 。表示時候不早了。This explanation suggests that ‘三' (three) is to be interpreted vertically and absolutely, instead of umbrally and relative to the physical pole. Given the fact in the phrase 三竿 (three poles) was recorded by an observatory officer, it is unlikely that the former intepretation is correct. 大太陽曬屁股還不起身嗎？ 於是我便上網查了一下該成語的出處：「日上三竿」應該是出自《 南齊書・天文誌上・日光色 》的一段話。《南齊書・天文誌》是南齊政府天文局官員根據每日的觀測日記整理
Read more

Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda和金牌急腳遞

Image
如果你或你的公司不還稅， 內陸稅收局 的人就會寄一封公函來罵你並跟你討錢。 在馬來西亞，所有的政府公函，都會印上 Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda 的字樣。「Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda」其實是延續英國人 On His Majesty's Service 的傳統。「 Seri Paduka Baginda 」這三個字的英語是「His Majesty」或「Her Majesty」，而「Urusan」則是「Service」。 現代英國郵遞系統的原型是愛德華四世國王 Edward IV (1461-1483)設計的，他為了加快情報的傳遞速度，在大概每30km就設了一根柱子(post)和一匹新馬。這樣，情報的傳遞便能達到約2 m/s。 J. C. Hemmeon在1912年出版的《The history of the British post office》是這樣寫道的： A somewhat different style of postal service, a precursor of the modern method, was inaugurated by the fourth Edward. During the war with Scotland he found himself in need of a speedier and better system of communication between the seat of war and the seat of government. He accomplished this by placing horses at intervals of twenty miles along the great road between England and Scotland. By so doing his messengers were able to take up fresh horses along the way and his despatches were carried at the rate of a hundred miles a day. 500年前2 m
Read more

The Sang Kancil Story of Malacca

Image
The official emblem of the state of Malacca shows two light brown mouse deers on each side of the tree of Malacca. This depiction is rather problematic. Because, if the emblem is meant to commemorate the brave Sang Kancil , as encountered by Parameswara in the Sejarah Melayu, then the color of the animal is probably not correct. If you follow the Malay classic carefully, the Sang Kancil mentioned is not light brown but white . The relatively new The logo was unveiled when Malacca was declared Historical City on April 13, 2003 logo of the City Council of Malacca, however, correctly show the two mouse deers in white . On the other hand, the Sang Kancil story purported to explain the founding of Malacca could be a story modified from a folk-tale from Sri Lanka. This fact was first noted by R. O. Winstedt (1922) Two Legends of Malacca, Journal of Straits Branch of Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 85, p. 40. I was in the Za'ba Memorial Library , around
Read more

《心經》裡面的「般若波羅蜜」一詞

Image
很多年前曾經到過香港大嶼山的 心經簡林 。 心經簡林 是一個由三十八個巨型木簡，按數學無窮大「\(\infty\)」符號的形狀排成的木陣。在木陣裡面，除了第一個題目簡、第二十三個「空」簡和最後一個落款簡之外，其他的木簡都刻有《心經》的部分經文。 《心經》的全名叫《般若波羅蜜多心經》。我是在香港電影《 月光寶盒 》裡面，第一次聽到「般若波羅蜜多」這個詞的。在戲裡面，它是周星馳先生用來開啓可以讓時光倒流的月光寶盒的密語。必須注意的是，周先生把咒語唸成了「般若波羅蜜」，把「多」字給去掉了。 月光寶盒 的密語：般若波羅蜜. . . 不管「般若波羅蜜多」或是「般若波羅蜜」，念起來很別扭，很明顯它們都不是漢語，事實上，它們是由三個印度字組成的合成詞。「般若」的巴利語「paññā」的音譯：是知識或智慧的意思。「波羅」是巴利語「pāra」的音譯，它和英語前綴「para」一樣，是超越的意思，例如，英語「paranormal」就是超自然的意思。「蜜／蜜多」是巴利語「mī/mīta」的音譯，它是希臘語「metron」的親戚，也是英語「mete」或「measure」的祖先，想表達的是既定或肯定的意思。 把「paññā」+「pāra」+「mī」三個印度字連在一起，「般若波羅蜜」指的便是一種備受肯定、完美超凡的智慧。在周星馳先生的哲學世界裡面，也只有利用這種完美超凡的知識transcendental wisdom，才能將時空逆轉。 大嶼山的心經簡林與數學的無窮大「\(\infty\)」符號 可惜的是，我們暫時還沒有發現這種transcendental wisdom。可喜的是，數學家倒是發現了很多transcendental number（ 波羅蜜數 ）。波羅蜜數是一種很特別的數，因為你必須用無窮大「\(\infty\)」的概念才能將它正確地寫出來。例如，銀行用來算 複利息 的「\(e = 2.718\ldots\)」，就是一个波羅蜜數。 $$e = 2 + \frac{1}{1+\frac{1}{2+\frac{2}{3+\frac{3}{4+\frac{4}{5+\frac{5}{6+\frac{6}{7+\frac{7}{8+\frac{8}{9+\frac{9}{\ddots}}}}}}}}}} = 2.718\
Read more

有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？

Image
論語 的 第一句話 是： 學而時習之，不亦說乎？ 有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？ 人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？ 這句常被拆散來用，例如中間的「 有朋自遠方來 」那一段，你的外地朋友來找你吃飯，你就說：有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎。 孔子的原話想要帶出的意思其實有點不同。中間的那一段，必須和上段和下端 一起 解讀。 這句話， 黃繼忠 是這樣翻譯的： The Master said: To learn something and regularly practice it—is it not a joy? To have schoolfellows come from distant states—is it not a pleasure? Not to resent when men do no know you—is it not like a gentleman? 孔子時代的六經和六藝 孔子是想講「學」和「學」的應用。在周朝，君子必須學禮儀、學跳舞、學射箭、學駕車、學書法、以及學算術。 論語裡面「 學 」的概念 比較忠於孔子原意的用法是這樣的： 第一句：學校老師教我 拉普拉斯变换 ，然後我在 炸薯片 油鍋溫度控制剛好用上了它，就可以說： 學 拉普拉斯变换而炸薯片 時習之，不亦說乎 ？ 第二句：比利時搞油鍋工藝的 同事 來車間討論薯片油鍋溫度控制的一些實際手段，就可以說： 有朋自 比利時 來，不亦樂乎？ 第三句：車間的 同事 聽不懂我在講什麼，我沒有表現得很不耐煩。就可以說： 同事 不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？
Read more