The "Huangdi Neijing" assigns each of the five viscera, liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys to one of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, respectively, which is widely accepted in Chinese medicine. However, in the late Joseon Dynasty, Jeong Dong-yu(鄭東愈, 1744-1808), a scholar, introduced a controversial argument in his book "Juyoungpyeon(晝永編, 1804)." The following is a summary of his statement in the book 1).
It is stated in Nei Jing that the heart corresponds to fire, the lungs to metal, the spleen to earth, the liver to wood, and the kidneys to water. This is in agreement with the traditional theory. When diagnosing and treating illnesses, the principles of the five elements are observed to determine the appropriate course of action. This corresponding system has been passed down unchanged for nearly 2,000 years, making it difficult to argue that a different corresponding system is possible.
However, different interpretations of this system were presented in early Chinese medicine. In Yang Xiong(楊雄)'s ""Tai Xuan Xuan Shu" (태현·현수, 太玄·玄數,BC2)," the principle of the five elements is explained. When it comes to the organs, Yang Xiong assigns the liver to wood, the lungs to fire, the kidneys to water, the spleen to metal, and the heart to earth. Yang Xiong was not someone who spoke carelessly, and he must have been aware of the prevalent theories among scholars at the time. So why did he make such claims? One possible explanation is that the two books have different interpretations of the system. This could lead to confusion and mistakes in treatment, which raises the question of which interpretation is correct.
In fact, some resources from the early history of Chinese medicine stated different corresponding systems of viscera and the five elements. This is outlined in the table. Jeong Dong-yu poses the question of how we should approach this controversial fact.
Is the assignment of the five elements to the viscera an unquestionable truth or a debatable theory?
Text | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water |
管子(~BC 700) | Spleen | Liver | Heart | Kidney | Lung |
呂氏春秋(BC293) 淮南子(BC139) 太玄(BC2) | Spleen | Lung | Heart | Liver | Kidney |
春秋緯·元命苞 (AD5-9) 白虎通義 (AD 85) 黄帝内经(BC300-AD100) | Liver | Heart | Spleen | Lung | Kidney |
Table: adopted from 'Did the current correspondence scheme between Five Viscera and Five Phases arise from social and humane hegemony conflict?' Kiwang Kim, 2010, 대한한의학원전학회지, vol.23, no.3, 통권 50호 pp. 128-138 (11 pages)
There are many fake books in the world. For example, the Inner Classic, which are said to be written by Yellow emperor, were written by people of the Warring States, Qin, and Han dynasties. However, although these books are not authentic, they are very ancient, so there is much to be gained from them.(그러나 세상에는 가짜 책이 많다. 예컨대 『內經』을 황제시대의 책이라 하는 것은 戰國 · 秦 · 漢代 사람의 저작이다. 그런데 이 책들은 진본이 아니기는 하나 매우 오래된 것이므로 취할 바가 많다.)
- Fang Xiaoru(方孝孺)《遜志齊集》卷4 in Ming Dynasty
ref.
1) "素門"以五臟分屬五行 ― 心爲火, 肺爲金, 脾爲土, 肝爲木, 腎爲水｡ 此卽古今醫家不易之論也｡ 故診病也, 察五行生克而爲候; 論藥性也, 亦視五行補瀉而爲用｡ 若謂此理可捨, 則從古醫道可一掃而廢也｡ 然楊子"太玄·玄數"盛言五行生克之理, 而及論五臟, 則曰木臟脾, 金臟肝, 火臟肺, 水臟腎, 土臟心｡ 使以此說相爲生克則"素門"之當補者瀉之, "素問"之當左者右之, 其誤治而傷人必矣｡ 子雲本非妄言者, 且當時醫門恒用之說, 亦必無不知之理, 而其言如此者何也? 然則" 素問"與"太玄"必有一誤, 抑將何所取捨乎? "漢書·藝文志" 不載"素問", 豈"素問"之出後於子雲歟? ("晝永編·卷二")
Things to discuss more. Different distribution of the taste and viscera
Is it typo or contradiction?
| Five elements | Tastes | Meridian | Body part | Taste 23 / 선명오기 | Taste 78 / 구침십이원론 / Suwen 4, 5 / 금궤진언론 / 음양응상대론 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | sour | Liver | sinew/muscle | Avoid sour taste in case of sinew disease. | Avoid sour taste in case of sinew disease. |
| Fire | bitter | Heart | blood | Avoid bitter taste in case of bone disease. | Avoid bitter taste in case of blood disease. |
| Earth | sweet | Spleen | flesh | Avoid sweet taste in case of muscle disease. | Avoid sweet taste in case of muscle disease. |
| Metal | acrid/pungent | Lung | skin | Avoid acrid taste in case of qi disease. | Avoid acrid taste in case of qi disease. |
| Water | salty | Kidney | bone | Avoid salty taste in case of blood disease. | Avoid salty taste in case of bone disease. |