Five Moralities Formation And Evolution

The Yin-Yang School was an important one of the schools of thought in Pre-Qin period. It began with ZouYan, the leading exponent of the school, to whom was attributed a comprehensive expression embodying contributions of previous scholars. ZouYan's thought was very sophisticated, including Mutual Promotion among the Five Elements which described the formation of the universe, and the related geographical theory, namely the Major-Jiuzhou and Minor-Jiuzhou. But it was his Five Elements Circulation Theory that was the most influential and prevailing one of his theories."The Five Elements Circulation Theory had been the ruling tool for feudal dynasties since the Qin and Han Dynasty. Generations of emperors themselves claimed to be the Monarch of the Divine Right, i. e. they ruled the people according to the God's will. The theory had a certain effect in the history. The theory had four layers of meaning. Firstly, it was a historical view. Secondly, it was an orthodox theory. Thirdly, it was political view. Fourthly, it was an ideological view. But as to the ideological view, the Five Elements Circulation Theory seemed a little inadequate. Once a theory appeared, it would keep on developing by the inheritance of many great thinkers, so did the Theory. The scholars such as Liang Qichao, Hou Wailu and Xu Xingwu thought that Dong Zhongshu and Liu Xiang inherited and furthermore, the main idea they inherited was the Five Elements Circulation Theory. This essay will discuss the appearance of the Theory, and its inheritance and development by Dong Zhongshu and Liu Xiang.Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, the idea of the Yin-Yang and the Five Elements had got long-term development. At the beginning, they were simple natural idea. Finally, they became an abstractive conception. Especially with the lasting development of both, the two merged into one, which formed theoretical foundation for the Five Elements Theory. At the same time, from the Mid-Warring States period, the Emperor-creating Movement became popular, which offered an ultimate aim for the formation of the Five Elements Theory, i. e. building the Great Unity. Most importantly, ZouYan borrowed some idea of the Five Element Theory of the school of the Mencius, the natural view of the Taoism, and the relevant theories of the Mohism and the Legalism, which made the Five Elements Theory gain currency, especially the political movement that the Yanzhao King claimed to be the North Emperor directly prompted the the appearance of the Theory. From then on, the Theory was not stagnant. From the historical and academic background, Dong Zhongshu and Liu Xiang inherited and carried forward the Theory. As for Dong Zhongshu, he inherited the thought of Guitu of the Theory, and related the Tu with the loyalty and filial piety to build his own patriarchal thought. Dong Zhongshu also borrowed the idea of the Natural Heaven from the Theory in order to build his own theory, i. e. the Moral Heaven theory. Dong Zhongshu also made furthering development to the Theory. Firstly, he introduced the view of the Yin-Yang and the Five Elements into the social control field, and got the idea of Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. To some extent, he offset the shortage that the Theory was lack of social control. Secondly, his interaction between heaven and man theory made an initial explanation to interaction theory of the Five Element Circulation Theory. In addition, on the basis of the Five Elements Circulation Theory, he built his own Three Unification Learning. As for Liu Xiang, he inherited the authority transformation of the Five Elements Circulation Theory. He thought that destiny did not stick to one dynasty, but changed ceaselessly. Liu Xiang also made a contribution to the development of the Five Elements Circulation Theory. Firstly, his disaster theory made a full explanation to interaction that mentioned in the Five Elements Circulation Theory. Secondly, he had an initial investigation about the social development motivation that was not covered in the Theory, and furthermore, he thought that emperors, chancellors and women were also important elements of the development of the history, which made the Theory more systematic and comprehensive. Five Elements Circulation Theory, is the our country ancient thinkers of the law of historical development and the historical development problems. such as the thinking motivation theory crystallization. through to the Five Elements Circulation Theory research, can search out of China traditional culture to send out the prosperous development of the infinite vitality.