With the question of 'when was the beginning of all the things in the universe?', this thesis examines its relation to Yin-Yang and the Five Elements of the universe, the principle of creation and change. The theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements w...
With the question of 'when was the beginning of all the things in the universe?', this thesis examines its relation to Yin-Yang and the Five Elements of the universe, the principle of creation and change. The theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements was formed by Zou Yan(鄒衍) at the end of the Warring States Period, and Zou Yan's theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements became systematic and was developed by Dong Zhongshu(董仲舒). As the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements developed, the meaning of the Five Element was imparted to objects, and at this time, Ten Gan and Twelve Ji were also included into the system of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Later, the concepts of Taegeuk and Yin-Yang and the Five Elements have been passed down to today by Zhou Dunyi(周敦頤) during the North Song dynasty in China, and Yin-Yang and the Five Elements were believed to be able to explain all the changes and phenomena of all the things in the universe. However, Liang Qichao(梁啓超) severely criticized Yin-Yang and the Five Elements as a superstitious notion combined with mystical Zai-yi thoery(災異說), and in this research, it was investigated whether Yin-Yang and the Five Elements have superstitious elements or a reasonable attitude toward the nature.
This paper examines Yin-Yang and the Five Elements in terms of Saju-Myeongri by studying the relation between Yin-Yang and the Five Elements and Cheonganjiji(天干地支) through original texts, research papers, modern documents and others. Accordingly, the origin, concepts and characteristics of Saju-Myeongri Yin-Yang and the Five Elements were investigated, and then the combination and assignment of Saju-Myeongri Yin-Yang and the Five Elements and Cheonganjiji were analyzed. The title of this thesis has only Yin-Yang and the Five Elements and Cheonganjiji, but the actual contents also include Saju-Myeongri. In Saju-Myeongri, Ganji is the mark that records the shape of Saju, and what forms the theory of Saju can be said to be Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Yet, between Ganji and Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, what forms the theory of Saju-Myeongri is Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, so the title of this thesis includes only Yin-Yang and the Five Elements and Cheonganjiji. It was analyzed that the key basic factors in the structure of the year, month, date and time of one's birth that forms Saju-Myeongri were Cheongan(天干), Jiji(地支), and Sixty Gapja(六十甲子), and each of them was explained. First, the mythical and historical origins of Cheonganjiji were explained, and the concepts of Cheongan and Jiji of Ganji were explained. Then, after the explanation of Ganji and Sixty Gapja, the theories of Cheongan and Jiji in classics were analyzed, and the truth of the theory of Ganji was explained.
As for the mythical and historical origins of Cheonganjiji, the concepts and origins of Ten Gan(十干), Twelve Ji(十二支), Yin-Yang(陰陽), and Five Elements(五行) were explained respectively through the documentary grounds of classics. With regard to the combination of Ganji and Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, the combination of Ten Gan and Yin-Yang and the Five Elements and that of Twelve Ji and Yin-Yang and the Five Elements were explained, and then the assignment of Ten Gan and Twelve Ji was explained based on the classic documents. As to the origin of Ganji, it was divided into mythical origin and historical one through which the actual use of Ganji can be verified, and the historical origin was discussed through the explanation on the theory of Ganjicheongang and the theory of Daeyochangje of the theory on the invention of Cheonhwang lineage and the theory on the origin of the emperor.
Last, Yuksin, the highlight of Saju-Myeongri theory, was explained briefly, and as its key, the theory of coexistent relation(相生) and incompatible relation(相剋) of Ganji and the Five Elements was explained mainly. Yet, this study focused on examining what parts of the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements are mythical and superstitious, and particularly, ‘the central soil(中央 土)’ of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.