鄒衍의 五行說에 관한 論考

Study on Wuxing(五行) of Zou Yan(鄒衍)

Wuxing has been spread all over the world by Zon Van at the middle age of Chongook(戰國). Since then, combined with Yinyang(陰陽), Wuxing has been one of the essential ideas of Oriental philosophy. Originally the motivation on which Zou Van urged Wuxing was designed for an unification of the divided nations out of the long-termed conflict in special situation of Chongook. Wuxing includes both a supplementary aspect and a predominant aspect. Zou Yan prefered a predominant one which prophesied the presentation of heavenly prince. Wuxing has been developed diversely, absorbed into the other theories of various schools with time. It has been prevailed into all the Oriental ideas, such as cosmology and the idea of prophets, and came to form an essential structure of Oriental culture. Wuxing has been contradicted as a code of conduct for savages by the intelligentsia of the age of 5.4 New Cultural Movement. Wuxing has maintained its original contents for a long time because of its practicality which is out of actual living experiences.