Comparison of the Ideological Structures Between Doctrine of Five Evolutive Phases and Six Climate Factors and The Book of Changes （《周易》） from the Perspectives of "Time，Position，and Virtue"
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.05.002
- VernacularTitle:“时、位、德”视域下运气学说与《周易》思想结构的比较
- Author:
Yunfeng JIANG
1
;
Juan HE
1
Author Information
1. Beijing University of Chinese Medicine，Beijing，100029
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
The Book of Changes （《周易》）;
doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors;
The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor （《黄帝内经》）;
time;
position;
virtue
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2026;67(5):471-476
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
This paper compares the philosophical structures of doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors and The Book of Changes （《周易》） from three dimensions of "time， position， and virtue"， aiming to reveal the penetration of The Book of Changes thought in the formation of the doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors and its own theoretical transformation. Both the "doctrine" and the "book" centered on "time"， recognizing temporal order through observation of celestial phenomena and calendar formulation. The Book of Changes emphasizes "seizing the timely moment" to master the principles of change in all things， while doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors focuses on "understanding time" to clarify how qi relates to temporal phases. Regarding position， both treat it as time-derived and philosophically significant within a six-tier structure. The The Book of Changes uses yao （爻） positions for judging auspiciousness， inauspiciousness， regret and distress， with such judgement permeating the overall structure of the hexagram； the doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors uses qi positions， where "dangwei （当位）" denotes normative qi transformation governing the overall pattern. Both hold that "virtue" arises from time‑position harmony， representing conformity to time and suitability to position. In The Book of Changes， "virtue" serves to encapsulate the attributes of things and the principles of heaven and earth， whereas the doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors furhter extends "virtue" to denote the normative state of qi transformation. Thus， the intellectural structure of time， position and virtue in the doctrine of five evolutive phases and six climate factors was influenced by Yijing scholarship， within which it completed its theoretical evolution distinctly.
