Chinese Five-color Theory Based On Cognitive Linguistics Research

Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary cutting-edge scientific study that has undergone much development in the20th century. Under such theoretical context, cognitive linguistics is built as a contributor to its field of investigation, both developing a synchronized and complementary relationship. This present thesis will through literature, try to analyze ancient documentation and vocabulary referring to colors, and explore the historical origins of traditional Chinese medicine's five colors model, the five phase's theory and its consequent attachment with the five organs thus determining their basic diagnosis and clinical use. Within the setting of cognitive science and through prototype categorization applied to linguistics, conceptual metaphor, and other related scientific theory and methodology, discuss the formation and clinical diagnosis significance of Chinese medicine's five colors categorization of the up to its pathological implications. Hopefully through deliberating the cognitive categorization of Chinese medicine's five colors model will result in improving not only the understanding its categorization process but also Chinese medicine basic theory cognitive significance.Firstly, the reviewed documentation organizes and summarizes the last20years of traditional Chinese medicine's investigation on the five colors model, dividing its current status in two main fields of research; traditional and modem. This research is not only based in theoretical literature and clinical interpretation alone, as it applies modern psychology, objective color sensitive microscopic reading and overall clinical practice in order to provide significant and important quantitative data to support the theoretical and clinical advancement of Chinese medicine theory over this matter, even though an objective diagnostic system based research has raised many problems that need to be solved.The body of the thesis is divided into three sections, the first focuses on the history and the evolution process of five colors categorization according to the theory of Chinese medicine and discusses the historical process of mutual attachment between Chinese medicine five color models and the five phases (elements) theory. A brief outline of five colors model theoretical use in diagnostics in Chinese medicine is specifically throughout Zhang Zhongj ing's classics of "Treaty on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases". Considering the great quantity of existent material about the theory of Chinese medicine five color model and its wide range of use, the "Yellow emperor's internal classic" in antiquity summarizes the connection between the five colors and the five organs. The most important use for the theory of the five colors model belongs to the subjects of diagnostics and pattern differentiation of Chinese medicine. Within the four methods of diagnostics, the color differentiation is one segment of great importance, through the face and the tongue the doctors may directly examine the patients' pathological condition and determine the severances of the disease, all of which carry great clinical significance. The second part of this thesis discusses the background for cognitive linguistics research issuing a brief explanation on the category theory and classification of5colors related research. Cognitive linguistics are based on the experience of the human world, on the perception and conceptualization of this world, laying emphasis on the participatory role of human cognition, pondering language not as a direct reflection from the objective world, but as a human awareness intervening between them. Surely the objective world is chaotic, still through analysis, judgment and inductive method, mankind may group and position everything by means of categorization. Category theory has undergone a classical and prototype theoretical categorization. Current research on color categorization starts most importantly from the prototype categorization theory. Man when perceiving the world around him, explores uncertainty, and throughout necessary means of cognitive metaphor, is thrown from a precise conceptual system of knowledge into a generalized unknown territory, thus acquiring a new level of understanding. Domestic and foreign literature data as well as investigation regarding prototype and color categorization theories hereby mounts to a plentifully contribution throughout this paper's research thus forming a reference material of important value.The third and last part of this thesis describes how cognitive linguistics perceives and analyzes Chinese medicine's five colors model theory. Firstly by reviewing, similar research material on color categorization accounting for mankind's long-standing historical research over colors. This investigation extends through different areas of science such as philosophy, art, anthropology, ethnology, neurology, physiology and up to linguistics. The ancients have greatly analyzed colors, enriched its referred vocabulary, and expanded their knowledge on color categorization and gradually deepening their understanding to a point of influencing the development of Chinese medicine. Prototype's categorization theory is used from an initial stage analyzing the formation of Chinese medicine's five color categorization to its objective disparities in color diagnostics used into clinical differentiation process. Also the conceptual metaphor theory in analyzing Chinese medicine, the five phases and the five organs have a connected link to its cognitive metaphorical significance.The present research therefore concludes by examining Chinese medicine formation of the five colors categorization to be built on a similar familiar based prototype model principle. The connection between the five colors categorization and everything in nature it's merely a subjective result taken from its own attachment, being such a process constructed and based on an objective categorization reality. The formation of the five color theoretical model of Chinese medicine was taken out of the five phase philosophical background. If the Five Phases (elements) theory are an ancient Chinese philosophical classification system, drawn up to describe the world and everything in it, then when attached to the Five Colors it amounts to a mere basic mental cognition associated metaphor. Thus, Chinese medicine theory of the five colors should require a naturalistic and socio cultural background in order to fully interpret and decipher its significance. This current topic benefits an objectification of Chinese medicine's five color research, and proofs equally advantageous for various sciences to look upon the basic Chinese medicine concept and theory. Thus, I hope improving research and overall understanding of Chinese medicine theoretical system.