The Importance of "Five" in Chinese Philosophy
Color As Well As The Number Five Are Essential
The Chinese teachings of color as well as the number five are essential aspects to
understanding the difference between Western and Chinese thinking on the laws of nature and how balance affects the quality of human life. These teachings begin with an explanation of the five elements, the five systems, the five colors, and then advance to the five seasons, the five flavors, and the five constitutions. For our purposes, let’s just touch on the first three.
The teaching begins with the concepts of Yin and Yang. Basically it means opposing or balancing forces: up and down, right and left, hot and cold, negative and positive, Nourish "in” and cleanse "out." Yin is "in" and Yang is "out." We nourish "in" so we have energy "out." Most western people now understand that we will not be healthy if we have poor nutrition. The Chinese also teach that without proper cleansing, your body is not balanced. A toxic body will affect the chi and the ability of the body to balance itself by not allowing the harmony necessary between yin and yang. The most visual example of yin and yang is black and white. Black and white is extreme ends of the color spectrum.
This is a concept we call the "Circle of the Quinary."
"Circle of the Quinary" refers to the Chinese teaching of five elements, five systems, and five colors as part of the life cycle. It is the interdependent nature of a circle which represents the total involvement of the five parts that makes this so clear. All five parts need each other to complete the circle of life. Independently none of the five elements or systems can maintain life. It is the state of balance among the five that is life. Balance is what truly determines the quality of life. Thus the "Circle of the Quinary" is basic to the understanding of the Chinese philosophy of balance or regeneration.
The Chinese teach that the five systems of the body correspond to the five elements of
the world: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements are part of all forms of life. The five elements govern the five major systems of the body. They correspond as follows: wood corresponds to defense, fire to endocrine, earth to digestive, metal to respiratory, and water to circulatory. They also believe that there is a natural flow or balance needed among the elements. The flow is: wood produces fire, fire produces earth, earth nourishes metal, metal produces water, and water nourishes wood. This is a basic explanation of the interdependency of the organs and systems. The Chinese also believe that there is a law of production and control. For example it says that the liver controls the stomach, wood controlling earth, etc. This sets the pattern for the 26 relationships among the systems. This is another explanation for interdependency and a concrete view of the "Circle of the Quinary." This control or interdependency can go beyond one organ controlling or affecting another. It is a play or relationship existing at the core of the balance principle. Balance is really dictated by the quality and consistency of nourishment and cleansing. This happens in the body when the body is fed the proper combination of foods. With attention paid to the body first and the mind second, balance or harmony develops. It is, then, that the true spirit of health unfolds. The traditional Chinese philosophy does not look to Western science, rather it looks to nature. They then follow the logic that life is a magnetic interplay referred to as Yin and Yang. Opposites are good examples, up and down, dryness and wetness, heat and cold, in and out. There is a relationship between these pairs, as there is a relationship with all living processes.
Western thinking is to diagnose, cure, and heal. The Chinese thinking is simple: health is the result of proper balancing. The body is capable of restoring balance if it is nourished correctly with food, exercise and air. The explanation also goes to colors. Each organ relates to a color. The stomach (earth) is yellow, kidney (water) is black, the lung (metal) is white, the liver (wood) is green and the heart (fire) is red. The Chinese philosophy allows us to see the value of a variety of colorful foods.
Western teaching suggests that we eat 5 to 7 portions of fruits and vegetables a day.
Think of the color involved! How does this compare to the foods with the fewest colors, for example, animal products? Recently the United States Department of Agriculture released the food pyramid, its chart for explaining proper eating habits. The food pyramid has the colorful foods at the base, signifying greatest importance. These are the fruits, vegetables, and grains. They are to be eaten in the greatest quantities. What is more colorful than fruits, vegetables, and grains as well as herbs? Interestingly enough, in the past 5 years the scientific community has taught us that Bioflavonoids are a key factor of life. There are over 20,000 in our food supply. They are found in the bark, stems, seeds, skin, and roots of plants. They are prevalent in the most colorful plants. If we can accept that colors relate to organs, and that organs are interdependent upon each other, especially for the systems to be balanced, then you have a basic understanding of the "Circle of the Quinary."
The Western scientific community simply verifies what the Chinese have taught for thousands of years. If you draw five circles that do not touch or overlap, they can be said to be independent of each other. If the circles are drawn to overlap, then their roles take on a new dimension, one that is more complex. Our body is certainly complex. All life is certainly complex. This is the reason science has been unable to produce it, and has been unable to explain it at all levels. Science can control and explain reproduction, certain energy transfers, and even have a great understanding about digestion, but when overlapping factors like stress and pollution and even genetics and environment are introduced into the equation, science has difficulty proving or explaining the activity. Those factors that affect life are more complicated than 5 independent circles. Western scientific thinking starts with the idea that everything can be proven for its value and existence.