Abstract

This article means to affirm that the theoretics on "Wu-Shing", the Five Elements or whatever morden schloars might name them, derives from an intellectual legacy of the "Warring Dukedoms Period" (403-221B.C.). Shang Shu (the Book of History) defines the Five Elements as five entities that differ from the theory of mutual-Counteracting elements in the Warring Dukedoms Period. My arguement goes that these five elements were originally reffered to five deities. As time elapses, various schools of scholars tried to reshuffle these archtypes which changed into five counteracting elements in the late Warring Dukedoms Period. Such a change and its theory strongly influenced the First Emperor of Chin whose administration was regarded tyrannical and with the prevailing theory of mutual-counteracting elements in his time. We can find no integrity in condeming him for tyranny here.

Key words: "Wu-Shing"