Elements Of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Articles

Challenges on Translating the Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hong Lou Meng

This study aimed to investigate the challenges associated with translating elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) within the context of Hong Lou Meng. Building upon the identified challenges, the study delved into solutions aimed at employing effective strategies in the translation of diverse Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study employed a qualitative method to investigate the translation of TCM terms in the English version translated by Hawkes and Minford (2014) from the perspective of translation aesthetics. The study carefully chose representative examples from different facets of TCM in the source text, encompassing TCM theories, disease diagnosis and syndromes, and terminologies and formulas. The translated content was juxtaposed with the source text to scrutinize the translation methods employed in the translation. Based on this analysis, the study assessed both the achievements and shortcomings in translating various TCM terms from the perspective of translation aesthetics. Ultimately, the study consolidated solutions and compensation methods on how to retain the aesthetic and cultural value of Chinese medicine elements in the translation of classical literature. The study findings indicate that the challenges of translating TCM lie in conveying the difficult TCM theories, the recreation of the strict and beautiful language structures in disease diagnosis and syndromes, and the accurate reproduction of TCM terminologies. It shows that to overcome the challenges, translators should adopt various methods flexibly, such as annotating the TCM theories, recreating the content using similar sentence structures by adopting domestication plus transliteration, or foreignization plus annotation to translate Chinese medicine terminologies and formulas.

Energy Alterations in Patients with Tonsil Cancer

Introduction: Tonsil malignancy is one of the most common oropharyngeal cancer and can affect the posterior and lateral of pharyngeal walls, soft palate, and one third of the tongue, The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that patients with tonsil cancer have energy deficiency inside the five internal massive organs of the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine and the treatment of this condition is very important in these kinds of patients to increase the immune system and reduce the chance to have recurrence, metastasis or other types of cancer. Methods: one case report of a 63 years-old male patient with history of tonsil cancer seven years ago (2016) treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He went to my clinic to measure the energy of the five internal massive organs (Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs and Kidney) using radiesthesia procedure. Results: all organs were in the lowest level of energy, rated one out of eight. The treatment of his condition consisted in Chinese dietary counseling, auricular acupuncture with apex ear bloodletting, systemic acupuncture and replenishing these organs energy using highly diluted medications according to the theory of Constitutional Homeopathy of the Five Elements Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and crystal-based medications. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is to demonstrate that patients with tonsil cancer have energy deficiency of the five internal massive organs of the five elements theory of traditional Chinese medicine and the treatment of this condition is of paramount importance to treat the cause of the formation of tonsil cancer and not just treating the symptoms, that is the formation of tonsil cancer itself.

11B NMR of the Morphological Evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Borax.

This article applies nuclear magnetic resonance technology to the study of boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine, in order to explore the morphological evolution of boron elements in traditional Chinese medicine. Borax is a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-corrosion, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticonvulsant effects. It is made by boiling, removing stones, and drying borax minerals like borate salts. This article introduces an 11B nuclear magnetic resonance method for identifying and characterizing boron-containing compounds in TCM. We applied this technology to borax aqueous solutions in different chemical environments and found that with boron mixed in the form of SP2 hybridization in equilateral triangles and SP3 hybridization in equilateral tetrahedra, the pH changes in alkaline environments significantly affected the ratio of the two. At the same time, it was found that in addition to the raw material peak, boron signals of other boron-containing compounds were also detected in 20 commercially available boron-containing TCM preparations. These new boron-containing compounds may be true pharmaceutical active ingredients, and adding them directly to the formula can improve quality and safety. This article describes the detection of 11B NMR in boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine preparations. It is simple, non-destructive, and can provide chemical fingerprint studies for boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine.

The Psychosomatic Traits of “People with the Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine”: A Qualitative Study

ObjectiveTo identify the representative attributes of the five elements of a person with a qualitative methodology and provide the basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of “people with the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).” MethodsData collected from the literature review, two sessions of brainstorming of experts with related experience in “people with the five elements in TCM” from October 2020 to December 2020, and six rounds of in-depth interviews with 30 participants who had various attributes of the five elements from March 2021 to October 2021 were analyzed. Triangulation was used in this study, and theming and synthesizing were used to analyze the data. ResultsA total of 31 experts and 30 interviewees participated in this study. The median age of the experts and interviewees were 48.0 and 38.5 years, respectively; 51.66% and 54.8% of experts and interviewees, respectively, were men. The descriptors of facial diagrams of “people with the five elements in TCM” were complexion, shape, distribution state of facial bones, convergence trend of facial muscles, and facial expression. A theoretical model of “people with the five elements in TCM” was shaped based on these findings. ConclusionsThe study suggests a possibility for bridging the gap between personality and bodily state, identifying an avenue for personality research from the perspective of TCM.

What are the Risk Factors for the Development of Metastasis in Patients with Cancer After Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Introduction: The majority of the studies after the COVID-19 pandemic are saying the necessity of cancer patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that patients with cancer have energy deficiency inside the five internal massive organs of the five elements theory of traditional Chinese medicine and the use of any kind of medication, vaccine, or devices such as the use of metallic implants in orthopedic or dentists surgeries can reduce even more the energy of these patients, worsening their immune system leading to more propensity to have metastasis after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: Three case reports. Two are females that have breast cancer diagnosed five years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Both received chemotherapy and three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. One male patient had thyroid cancer (diagnosed four years ago) metastasis after receiving three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. They were submitted to the measurement of the energy of the five internal massive organs of the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine using the radiesthesia procedure. Results: All three patients were in the lowest level of energy of the Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidney, rated one out of eight. Both females presented Lung metastasis diagnosed through the computed magnetic resonance and the male patient presented bone metastasis leading to spontaneous femur fracture. All these complications occurred after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is to demonstrate that cancer patients have energy deficiency inside the five internal massive organs of the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine and the use of highly concentrated vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine can reduce even more this energy and cause more immune suppression, leading to more propensity to have metastasis in patients with cancer, as shown in these three patients reported in this article.

MRTCM: A comprehensive dataset for probabilistic risk assessment of metals and metalloids in traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is still considered a global complementary or alternative medical system, but exogenous hazardous contaminants remain in TCM even after decocting. Besides, it is time-consuming to conduct a risk assessment of trace elements in TCMs with a non-automatic approach due to the wide variety of TCMs. Here, we present MRTCM, a cloud-computing infrastructure for automating the probabilistic risk assessment of metals and metalloids in TCM. MRTCM includes a consumption database and a pollutant database involving forty million rows of consumption data and fourteen types of TCM potentially toxic elements concentrations. The algorithm of probabilistic risk assessment was also packaged in MRTCM to assess the risks of eight elements with Monte Carlo simulation. The results demonstrated that 96.64% and 99.46% had no non-carcinogenic risk (hazard indices (HI) were < 1.0) for animal and herbal medicines consumers, respectively. After twenty years of exposure, less than 1% of the total carcinogenic risk (CRt) was > 10-4 for TCM consumers, indicating that they are at potential risk for carcinogenicity. Sensitivity analysis revealed that annual consumption and concentration were the main variables affecting the assessment results. Ultimately, a priority management list of TCMs was also generated, indicating that more attention should be paid to the non-carcinogenic risks of As, Mn, and Hg and the carcinogenic risks of As and Cr in Pheretima and Cr in Arcae Conch. In general, MRTCM could significantly enhance the efficiency of risk assessment in TCM and provide reasonable guidance for policymakers to optimize risk management.

Status and risk evaluation of heavy metals in soil and traditional Chinese medicine in Longxi, Gansu Province, China

In order to study the pollution status of traditional Chinese medicine and soil heavy metal elements in Longxi, Gansu province, the content and pollution status of heavy metal elements in traditional Chinese medicine and its planting soil were evaluated by the method of field investigation and indoor analysis. The results showed that the total amount of Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cr exceeded the soil background value in varying degrees, and the over standard rates were 100%, 100%, 100%, 67% and 33% respectively. The enrichment capacity of Codonopsis pilosula was Cr > Zn > Cd > Cu > Pb, Astragalus membranaceus was Zn > Cd > Cu > Pb > Cr, Scutellaria baicalensis was Zn > Cd > Pb > Cu > Cr. Health risk assessment shows that traditional Chinese medicine in the study area will not cause obvious harm to resident health.

Online in situ detection and rapid distinguishing of saffron

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a sensitive optical technique capable of rapid multielemental analysis. The development of this technique for elemental analysis in traditional Chinese medicine can eventually revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry. The detection and identification of real and fake elements in traditional Chinese medicine is very important, and saffron is a typical representative. In this study, the in situ detection of the elements and exogenous heavy metals in saffron is performed by LIBS. To test the identification ability of the model combined with LIBS and principal component analysis, three samples (saffron, radish, and corn silk) were used as target materials. Observable characteristic lines in spectra of saffron include Ca, Fe, Mg, Al, Mn, Sr, Ba, Ti, Na, K, P, and Si. The observed spectral lines of H, O, and N are mainly affected by the air composition, while the CN molecular bands also exist. In the air pollutant sedimentation simulation, the intensity of Cu and Pb as exogenous elements in the spectrum is proportional to the concentration of the solution used for contamination. Saffron and adulterants can be separated in the scoring chart. Besides, with the increase in the cardinal number of variables, the resolution effect is more and more obvious. In general, LIBS has good discrimination ability while performing a rapid synchronous analysis of elements. The result has proved that LIBS is a powerful tool in the research of traditional Chinese medicine.

Efecto de la acupuntura en el control de la hipertensión arterial. Protocolo del estudio y resultados

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the control of arterial hypertension in patients already diagnosed with hypertension and who were currently on pharmacological treatment in the Montbrió del Camp Primary Care Area from October to December 2016.An experimental intervention study was conducted using random selection. A total of 11 patients were subjected to an energetic evaluation, and then treated with acupuncture for 8 weeks.The treatment consisted of performing body acupuncture together with auriculotherapy weekly for 8 consecutive weeks. The points were punctured using needles for 20minutes and then vaccaria seeds were placed in the ear at the end of each session, so that the patient could press them twice a day until the next visit. The points treated depended on the energetic evaluation and subsequent diagnosis according to the criteria of the five elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the fire, wood, and water points being treated. More points were added to all the participants depending on the energetic diagnosis according to Wu. Xing theory. The points treated in the auriculotherapy were Shen Men and Heart, as well as taking into account the presence of the diagonal groove in the earlobe.In the present study, acupuncture was shown to be effective in reducing the blood pressure levels in patients who were already receiving pharmacological treatment. This reduction is produced in the first three weeks and is subsequently maintained for a minimum of eight weeks.

Effect of music therapy derived from the five elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine on post-stroke depression

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of five phase music therapy in patients with depression after ischemic stroke. MethodsA total of 92 patients with post-stroke depression were randomly divided into the control group (32 cases), treatment group A (30 cases), and treatment group B (30 cases). All groups were given basic therapies for cerebral infarction. In addition, the control group was administerd 50 mg of oral sertraline hydrochloride daily, while treatment groups A and B received needling at Baihui (GV 20) plus acupoint injection at Yanglingquan (GB 34) daily; treatment group B also received music therapy derived from the five phases in Traditional Chinese Medicine theory twice daily. All treatments were administered for 5 days per treatment cycle for three cycles, with a 1 day interval between cycles. In all three groups, Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD-17) score and the activities of daily life (ADL) score were measured before and after treatment, and side effects were assessed with the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale. ResultsThe HAMD-17 score significantly decreased after treatment in all three groups, and the post-treatment reduction in HAMD-17 score was markedly greater in treatment group B than in treatment group A (P < 0.01). The ADL score significantly increased after treatment in all three groups, and the post-treatment increase in ADL score was significantly greater in treatment group B than in treatment group A (P < 0.01). The Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale score was highest in the control group, and lowest in group B, and significantly differed between the three groups (P < 0.01). ConclusionFive phase music therapy plus acupoint needling and acupoint injection can improve the symptoms in patients with post-stroke depression.

NeuroAid – traditional chinese medicine from East to West

Traditional chinese medicine is one of the oldest documented medical systems in the world. Therapy is based on active principles contained in medicinal herbs, and herbal medicine can be a valuable resource in effectively treating diseases, even ischemic manifestations. NeuroAid, with both MLC601 and MLC901, with neuroprotective and recovery properties, is a successful alternative in treating post-stroke sequelae, both ischemic and haemorrhagic. The product that has attracted the attention of academics and drug manufacturers combines the elements of traditional chinese medicine that targets natural products to support post-stroke recovery with today’s medicine that offers a range of pharmacological products to help prevent stroke.

Bioinformatics/Medical Informatics in Traditional Medicine and Integrative Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and integrative medicine are key components of the cultural heritage from Eastern Asia with thousands-of-years history in research and healthcare delivery. Traditional oriental medicine contributes significantly to the prosperity of Chinese and Eastern Asian culture. After the introduction of western biomedicine to Asia, traditional medicine still plays an important role in the healthcare system of many Asian countries and integrated with the mainstream medical treatments as a new track of healthcare named as integrative medicine. With the current trend of globalization, traditional medicine and integrative medicine are receiving gradual acceptance in the Western world. As a result, studies on traditional medicine attract more and more attention from researchers with various knowledge backgrounds and technologies. Medical informatics is a new interdisciplinary branch in medical science when computer science and information technology are combined with research of health science. The application of medical informatics that has extended to the studies of traditional medicine and other therapies of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The special issue supported by this journal provides a forum for traditional and integrative medical researchers and practitioners to share and exchange their new ideas on using computer science and information technology to explore and solve problems in healthcare. It is proposed with the Fifth International Workshop on Information Technology for Chinese Medicine (ITCM 2014) in Guangzhou, China, on 12 to 14 December 2014. The workshop is in conjunction with the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM'14), which was held in Belfast, UK, on 2 to 5 November 2014. Professor Xusheng Liu, Professor Honglai Zhang, and Professor Guozheng Li cochaired the workshop. The conference invited top experts from the US, UK, Australia, and Hong Kong to present their inspiring research outcomes and prospect the future of traditional and integrative medicine. However, numerous scientists and researchers were unable to introduce their excellent idea due to time limit of the workshop. The ITCM 2014 received about 100 submissions. All papers were anonymously reviewed by members of the IEEE conference organization committee. The accepted papers were published in the Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine Workshops (IEEE-BIBMW) (ISBN 978-1-4799-1309-1). Just a few excellent papers were later invited to submit the extension version to the special issue alongside external submissions for consideration of publishing. This special issue has received 37 submissions. All papers have gone through rigorous view, and only 10 of them (27%) are finally accepted for publication. This special issue reflects the up-to-date progress in applications of information technology to traditional and integrative medicine. The papers are categorized to represent the four aspects of medical informatics research of the discipline. In the paper entitled “Standardization of Syndrome Differentiation Defined by Traditional Chinese Medicine in Operative Breast Cancer: A Modified Delphi Study,” Q. Guo and Q. Chen present their research on TCM syndromes. Five papers are selected to demonstrate the research progress in disease diagnosis and treatment. G.-X. Shi et al. report a clinical study on vascular dementia. Z. Chen presents a new mathematics method to explore the classical theory of five elements in TCM in his work “Researches on Mathematical Relationship of Five Elements of Containing Notes and Fibonacci Sequence Modulo 5.” In “Syndrome Differentiation Analysis on MARS500 Data of Traditional Chinese Medicine,” Y.-Z. Li et al. succeed to use MARS500 to process the data of traditional medicine. The paper entitled “Detecting Disease in Radiographs with Intuitive Confidence” by S. Jaeger introduces the new idea to use informatics method to detect disease. Three papers are about information processing of traditional medicine. The paper entitled “Patterns Exploration on Patterns of Empirical Herbal Formula of Chinese Medicine by Association Rules” by L. Huang et al. used association rules to retrieve patterns from classical traditional medical formula. B. Zhang et al. proposed a bioinformatics approach to explore the latent patterns from conventional formula Shuang-Huang-Lian in their work “Using Bioinformatics Approach to Explore the Pharmacological Mechanisms of Multiple Ingredients in Shuang-Huang-Lian.” The paper entitled “Pulse-Diagnosis Signals Analysis of Fatty Liver Disease and Cirrhosis Patients by Using Machine Learning” by N. Wang et al. introduces new data mining method to process diagnostic data of liver disease. Finally, the paper entitled “An Ensemble Learning Based Framework for Traditional Chinese Medicine Data Analysis with ICD-10 Labels” by G. Zhang et al. and the paper entitled “ISMAC: An Intelligent System for Customized Clinical Case Management and Analysis” introduce the applications of machine learning to electronic data analysis of traditional medicine.

Quotidian Choices

This case report describes the effectiveness of a single intervention, acupuncture, for relieving or abolishing severe migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia and, thus, markedly improving quality of life. A 49-year-old woman was referred for acupuncture treatment of her daily migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia. The patient had received polypharmacy treatment for these conditions for several years but had rather limited relief of her symptoms. The patient received 10 weekly or biweekly acupuncture treatments over three months. Her migraines reduced in frequency and intensity after her first acupuncture treatment, and she was able to discontinue use of her migraine medications after her eighth treatment. Subsequently, her menopausal vasomotor symptoms and chronic insomnia resolved. This case illustrates successful treatment of the symptoms of three medical conditions with a single complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine procedure, namely, acupuncture, one of the key elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The patient’s medical problems had been treated for years with a multitude of medications, which led to adverse effects and little symptomatic improvement. Providers of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine and providers practicing allopathic medicine should seek treatment options for their patients that promise to be helpful for various symptoms or diseases, that is, treating the root cause rather than using polypharmacy for various symptoms.

Treating the Root Cause: Acupuncture for the Treatment of Migraine, Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms, and Chronic Insomnia

This case report describes the effectiveness of a single intervention, acupuncture, for relieving or abolishing severe migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia and, thus, markedly improving quality of life. A 49-year-old woman was referred for acupuncture treatment of her daily migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia. The patient had received polypharmacy treatment for these conditions for several years but had rather limited relief of her symptoms. The patient received 10 weekly or biweekly acupuncture treatments over three months. Her migraines reduced in frequency and intensity after her first acupuncture treatment, and she was able to discontinue use of her migraine medications after her eighth treatment. Subsequently, her menopausal vasomotor symptoms and chronic insomnia resolved. This case illustrates successful treatment of the symptoms of three medical conditions with a single complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine procedure, namely, acupuncture, one of the key elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The patient's medical problems had been treated for years with a multitude of medications, which led to adverse effects and little symptomatic improvement. Providers of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine and providers practicing allopathic medicine should seek treatment options for their patients that promise to be helpful for various symptoms or diseases, that is, treating the root cause rather than using polypharmacy for various symptoms.

Understanding association of spleen system with earth on Traditional Chinese Medicine theory

ObjectiveThe association of spleen system including both spleen and stomach with earth, one of the five elements, is a part of the theory of five elements. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) used the theory as a reasoning tool to illustrate the Zang-Fu organs' physiological functions and the interaction among them. The exploration of how the theory of that spleen system is associated with earth was created may provide insights into how five-element theory is applied to TCM practice. MethodsUsing analogism as a method to explore the relationship between earth and spleen system in TCM. ResultsChinese ancestors experienced and observed the features of earth from agricultural practice and used the knowledge for the explanation of spleen system functions including physiological functions, pathological characteristics and for the treatment of related illnesses. ConclusionThe theory of the five elements in TCM is a kind of metaphor, which depends on observation and exploration of the natural world and experience of human beings.

Physiological effects of rare earth elements and their application in traditional Chinese medicine

The process in the studies on physiological effects of rare earth elements in plants and their action mechanisms were summarized in the aspects of seed germination, photosynthesis, mineral metabolism and stress resistance. And the applications of rare earth elements in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in recent years were also overviewed, which will provide reference for further development and application of rare earth elements in TCM.

Historical, cultural and social perspectives on luxury seafood consumption in China

SUMMARYSince China is a leading market for a number of types of seafood, and much of this seafood is imported from other countries, Chinese consumption of seafood is an issue of vital importance to many of the world's fisheries. Focusing on luxury seafood, in particular bêche-de-mer, shark fin and live reef food fish, this paper firstly examines the links between Chinese consumption and species population trends in source countries. After a discussion of current efforts at conservation and management of these fisheries, the paper shows how the consumption of luxury seafood in contemporary China is intertwined with broader historical trends, including the expansion of Southern Chinese cuisine; cultural beliefs and traditions, in particular surrounding elements of traditional Chinese medicine; and most importantly, notions of social status and conspicuous consumption linked to the development of the Chinese economy and social stratification. The paper points to the role of the historical, cultural and social processes that underlie Chinese luxury seafood consumption, and to the need for greater levels of action among various actors to address this consumption if sustainability is to be achieved.

Speciation analysis of harmful elements in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, Chrysanthemi Flos

To investigate the state and distribution of Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cu in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Chrysanthemi Flos. The samples were prepared by modified Tessier sequential extraction; The elements of Cu, Pb, and Cd in the samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), while Hg, and As were analyzed by atomic fluorescence (AFS). Cu,Pb,Cd,Hg,As in Chrysanthemi Flos were 12.806, 10.478, 0.436, 0.231, 1.531 mg x kg(-1), respectively. Cu, Pb, Hg in Chrysanthemi Flos mainly existed in residual and organic states; Cd was priority to ion exchange state; the residual state was the main form of As, and ion exchange state and water soluble state also had a large proportion. Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg, As in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were 10.530, 4.926, 0.478, 0.260, 0.750 mg x kg(-1), respectively. Cu, Pb and Hg of residual state were the highest ratio; Cd and As mainly existed in ion exchange state. The experiment results showed that sequential extraction can be applied in speciation analysis of the harmful elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The method can speciate the state and distribution of harmful elements and provide the information of harmful elements. It will provide reference to the production of Chinese traditional patent medicine and herb extracts, processing of medicine herbs, the development of new drugs and safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Brief discussion on English translation of the term five elements in traditional Chinese medicine

五行是早期阴阳家的创说 ,其来源众说纷纭 , 目 前主要认为以其与生产实践的关系考察五行的起源 较为科学 ,即《尚书·洪范》云 : “五行 : 一曰水 , 二曰 火 ,三曰木 , 四曰金 , 五曰土。水曰润下 , 火曰炎上 , 木曰曲直 ,金曰从革 , 土曰稼穑 [ 1 ] 。”在古代农业生产 社会 ,土即稼穑 , 是最重要的一种农业生产活动。而 农业生产活动必以水为首 , 重视灌溉 ; 次为火、木、 金 ,即火种、耒耕、刀耕等生产活动。《管子·四时》 中第一次比较完整地提出了五行相生思想 , 并将阴 阳理论和五行理论有机地融为一体 , 建立了完整的 阴阳五行说体系 [ 2 ] 。而《黄帝内经》则吸取了阴阳五 行说的思想 ,并用以阐释人体的生理、病理等医学问 题 ,形成了中医学的五行脏腑观。 目前 ,“五行”的英语译法主要有三种 :“ five elements”,“ five phases”及 音 译“ wuxing” [ 3 ] 。 “element”在 词 典 中 的 意 思 是“ a fundamental , essential , or irreducib le constituent of a composite en tity”。其在数学上是指“a member of a set”; 在化 学和物理学上指“ a s ubstance composed of atoms having an identical number of pro tons in each nucleu s”,“ elements cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means”,“ one of four s ubstances , earth , air , fire , or water , formerly regarded as a fundamental con stituen t of the univer se”; 在电学上指“ the resistance wire in an elect rical appliance”。 由此可见 , “ five elements”的译法强调的是五 行即木、火、土、金、水的物质形态 , 但中医理论中的 五行不仅代表物质形态 ,更强调“运动”以及“功能”。 如王冰注云 : “行者 , 欲言为天行气之义也。”五行以 木、火、土、金、水为序相生 , 又以木、土、水、火、金为 序相克 ,可见五行之间相互存在着运动变化 , 当这个 动态平衡被打破即生克太过时 , 就会出现相乘及相 侮的病理变化。中医脏象学说中的“肝”、“心”、 “脾”、 “肺”及“肾”等脏腑概念 , 虽然来自解剖认识 , 但它们运用五行学说解释时 , 阐述的内容已不是原 来的“藏器”而是“藏气”了 [ 4 ] 。如《素问·阴阳应象 大论》: “东方生风 , 风生木 ,木生酸生肝”; “神在天为 风 ,在地为木 , 在体为筋 , 在藏为肝。”可见《内经》将 人体的肝归于木是因为木生发条达之性代表了肝脏 的特性与功能。正如近代医家恽铁樵所说 : “《内经》 之五脏 ,非解剖之五脏 , 乃气化之五脏”。因此 , 从这 一角度看 , “ five elements”表达五行含义是不够到 位的。 “phase”作为名词在词典中的解释为“ a distinct stage of development ; temporary manner , attitude , or pat tern of behavior”, “ an aspect ; a par t”即“时期 发展的显著阶段 , ( 暂时的 )状态 , 态度 ,行为模式”以 及“面 , 方面 ; 部分”的意思。其在天文学上指“one of the cyclically recurring apparent forms of the moon or a planet”即“月亮或其它行星周期性地重 复出现的明显形式”, (月等的 ) 变相 ,盈亏 ; 在物理学 · 3 0 5 · 中西医结合学报 2005 年 11 月第 3 卷第 6 期 J Chin In t egr M ed , Nov em ber 2005 , Vol .3 , No .6