If you’ve ever heard that Chinese medicine is based on the "Five Elements," you’ve witnessed a translation error that fundamentally misrepresents the basic theory of the tradition.
In the Greek writings, Plato discussed the elements as being the most singular "thing", more as a concept similar to an atom. If you break down physical matter what is the thing you come to that cannot be broken down any further. With quantum mechanics, that would be the particle/photon - the thing or the movement. Look at the symbol of ying and yang - it contains the photon and the wave. The photon is only seen as we place our attention on it. So maybe they are talking about something better explored in a Zen koan.
Thank you for providing these interesting and valuable references. When I was first introduced to the 5 elements I did not 'feel' that the term elements fitted the description of what was taking place and so I replaced it with 'phases'. I spent five years being quite 'strict' in maintaining my adapated terminology. The most recent five years I notice I have become more relaxed in my approach and have allowed the focus to be more on the message and teaching coming through the related 'themes'. I had a similar experience with the term 'Metal', feeling more into 'Minerals' as this carried more holistically the essence of Metal. Likewise, as I have grown in my personal and professional experience with TCM I have become more comfortable with the nuances, appreciating the subtle communication that guides me to be present with and appreciate the medicine in the moment.
I have had the same experience with Metal as minerals, interesting. They say Earth is the Mother of Metal, and the minerals and stones are created by the immense heat and pressure of the earth.
I love your wording here that minerals and stones are created by immense heat (Fire is Grandmother to Metal) and pressure of the Earth (Mother to Metal). Thus when there is an issue that has been prolonged in the lung or large intestine meridians we treat spleen (Earth) and/or heart (Fire).
The translation of "wuxing" as "five elements" is certainly contentious. And I think we can all agree on the difficulty in giving a single-word translation for the multivalence of Chinese words. That being said, Worsley is clear that his use of "element" is not to be taken in the ontological sense of Greco-Roman "things". In the following passage, he defends his use of "element" on temporal grounds:
"The term element, in the context of 'the Five Elements', describes a stage in the ceaseless flow of energy in Nature and in the person. The Chinese word is sometimes translated as 'phases' to avoid any suggestion that the elements are like the ultimate building blocks of all matter, a concept that arises much later in Greek and Roman philosophy. This does not do justice to the idea, however, that an element is vital and alive at all times, not just in its 'own time'. The elements do indeed describe the way in which the different facets of the whole come to the fore in their natural rhythms, both annual and daily. The Fire element, for example, represents the phase or the cycle where things and people are in their summer stage of warmth, fullness and maturity. By association this is extended to include many of the mental, emotional, and spiritual qualities of a similar type. In contrast, the Water element represents the winter stage where growth has ceased and activity is under the ground and characterised by determination, resolve, and a will to survive until the spring. The elements together represent a whole cycle of birth, growth, decay and death, and rebirth; but the faculties and attributes which they control and create are with us all of the time and allow us to meet the changing circumstances of our lives appropriately". (Worsley, Traditional Diagnosis, 215).
I think this is a reasonably nuanced position, though we still face the issue of "element" having ontological connotations in English. To resolve this, some practitioners use the hybridized phrasing "phase-element". My own view is that language gives us the advantage of articulation but also the disadvantage of being a construction of signifiers, where the most we can do is "point" to a notion. This is precisely why the Chinese relied on a pictographic form of writing.
In the Greek writings, Plato discussed the elements as being the most singular "thing", more as a concept similar to an atom. If you break down physical matter what is the thing you come to that cannot be broken down any further. With quantum mechanics, that would be the particle/photon - the thing or the movement. Look at the symbol of ying and yang - it contains the photon and the wave. The photon is only seen as we place our attention on it. So maybe they are talking about something better explored in a Zen koan.
Thank you for providing these interesting and valuable references. When I was first introduced to the 5 elements I did not 'feel' that the term elements fitted the description of what was taking place and so I replaced it with 'phases'. I spent five years being quite 'strict' in maintaining my adapated terminology. The most recent five years I notice I have become more relaxed in my approach and have allowed the focus to be more on the message and teaching coming through the related 'themes'. I had a similar experience with the term 'Metal', feeling more into 'Minerals' as this carried more holistically the essence of Metal. Likewise, as I have grown in my personal and professional experience with TCM I have become more comfortable with the nuances, appreciating the subtle communication that guides me to be present with and appreciate the medicine in the moment.
I have had the same experience with Metal as minerals, interesting. They say Earth is the Mother of Metal, and the minerals and stones are created by the immense heat and pressure of the earth.
I love your wording here that minerals and stones are created by immense heat (Fire is Grandmother to Metal) and pressure of the Earth (Mother to Metal). Thus when there is an issue that has been prolonged in the lung or large intestine meridians we treat spleen (Earth) and/or heart (Fire).
this is why I live the Wu Xing!
The translation of "wuxing" as "five elements" is certainly contentious. And I think we can all agree on the difficulty in giving a single-word translation for the multivalence of Chinese words. That being said, Worsley is clear that his use of "element" is not to be taken in the ontological sense of Greco-Roman "things". In the following passage, he defends his use of "element" on temporal grounds:
"The term element, in the context of 'the Five Elements', describes a stage in the ceaseless flow of energy in Nature and in the person. The Chinese word is sometimes translated as 'phases' to avoid any suggestion that the elements are like the ultimate building blocks of all matter, a concept that arises much later in Greek and Roman philosophy. This does not do justice to the idea, however, that an element is vital and alive at all times, not just in its 'own time'. The elements do indeed describe the way in which the different facets of the whole come to the fore in their natural rhythms, both annual and daily. The Fire element, for example, represents the phase or the cycle where things and people are in their summer stage of warmth, fullness and maturity. By association this is extended to include many of the mental, emotional, and spiritual qualities of a similar type. In contrast, the Water element represents the winter stage where growth has ceased and activity is under the ground and characterised by determination, resolve, and a will to survive until the spring. The elements together represent a whole cycle of birth, growth, decay and death, and rebirth; but the faculties and attributes which they control and create are with us all of the time and allow us to meet the changing circumstances of our lives appropriately". (Worsley, Traditional Diagnosis, 215).
I think this is a reasonably nuanced position, though we still face the issue of "element" having ontological connotations in English. To resolve this, some practitioners use the hybridized phrasing "phase-element". My own view is that language gives us the advantage of articulation but also the disadvantage of being a construction of signifiers, where the most we can do is "point" to a notion. This is precisely why the Chinese relied on a pictographic form of writing.