Source of the four elephants in alchemy

1, four elephants (or four phases)

In traditional Chinese culture, it refers to Qinglong, white tiger, rosefinch and Xuanwu, which represent the four directions of east, west, north and south respectively.

In the twenty-eight nights, the four elephants are used to divide the stars in the sky, also known as the four gods and the four spirits. In the theory of astronomical yin and yang in spring and autumn, it refers to the natural gas elephant of the four seasons, which are called Shaoyang, Sun, Shaoyin and Taiyin respectively. The traditional Chinese orientation is expressed by the south at the top, which is different from the modern north at the top, so the four elephant orientation is described. It is also said that the left Qinglong (east), the right white tiger (west), the front rosefinch (south), and the back Xuanwu (north), and echoes the five elements in the orientation (east wood, west gold, north water and south fire).

The concept of the four elephants was highly valued in ancient Japan and Korea, and these countries were often called the Four Saints and the Four Holy Beasts. It is worth noting that although it has recently been influenced by Japanese popular culture and has begun to get used to this statement, in fact, China has not always said that there are four saints about the four elephants. Generally speaking, the four saints are Fuxi, King Wen, Zhou Gong and Confucius.

The four elephants also refer to wind, rain, thunder, electricity, and four natural weather.

2. Classification of the four elephants

The ancients imagined the seven nights on each side of the east, south, west and north as four animal images, called the "four elephants".

Seven nights in the East: like a giant dragon flying in the night sky in the early spring and summer, so it is called "East Palace Dragon";

Seven nights in the north: snakes and turtles appear in the night sky in early summer and autumn, so it is called "North Palace Xuanwu"

Western Seven Nights: The tiger leaps out of the night sky in late autumn and early winter, so it is called the "White Tiger of the West Palace"

Southern Seven Nights: Like a rosefinch flying with wings, it appears in the night sky in the cold winter and early spring, so it is called "Nangong Rosefinch".

In ancient astrology in China, it refers to the Eastern Canglong (Qinglong), the Western White Tiger, the Southern Rosefinch, and the Northern Xuanwu

3. Four Elephants in Taoism

Among the guardian gods of Taoism, there is a kind of god specially used to guard the gate of Taoism. They are Qinglong, white tiger, rosefinch and Xuanwu, which are called "four elephants", also known as "four spirits".

For example, Qingcheng Mountain Tianshi Cave (Ancient Taoist Temple) is built in front of the towering mountain gate, there is a temple on the left and right. The left hall is a majestic green dragon god statue, named Mengzhang Shenjun, the right hall is a brave white tiger god statue, and a supervisor god king.

It is recorded in the Seven Emperors' Purple Garden Yansheng Sutra in the Eastern Wu Dynasty that people gave names to the four elephants, the rosefinch was Ling Guang, Xuanwu was the name, the Qinglong was Meng Zhang, and the white tiger was the prisoner.

[Four Elephants and Yin and Yang]

Therefore, it is easy to have Tai Chi, which is to give birth to two instruments, two instruments give birth to four elephants, and four elephants give birth to gossip.

"Two instruments" are "yin" and "yang". Taiji is the first change in the fundamental power of the universe. After this change is completed, a first-level "yin" and a first-level "yang" are produced. However, there is still the role of the power of yin and yang in these two levels of "yin" and "yang", which will continue to evolve.

As a result, the first level of "yin" produces "yin in yin" - Taiyin and "yang in yin" - Shaoyang; the first level of "yang" produces "yin in yang" - Shaoyin and "yang in yang - sun". Taiyin, Shaoyang, Shaoyin and Sun are the second-level combination of yin and yang, collectively referred to as the "four elephants". This process is called "two instruments give birth to four elephants".

The four elephants are the basic elements of the second level. Unlike India's division of the world's original power into "ground, fire, wind and water", the four elephants in ancient China are Taiyin - water; Shaoyang - wood; Shaoyin - gold and sun - fire. And there is also an intermediate state between the four elephants - earth.

Water, fire, wood, gold and earth are the traditional "five elements" in China. In essence, the five elements are still the evolution and function of yin and yang. As mentioned earlier, please refer to the theoretical basis and true essence of the five elements of the blog. The five elements are the essence of yin and yang, and yin and yang are the qi of the five elements.

On the basis of the four elephants, a new combination of yin and yang is generated due to the continuous effect of yin and yang forces. The sun decomposes into the yang of the sun - "Qian" and the yin of the sun - "Tian"; Shaoyin decomposes into the yang of Shaoyin - "Li" and the yin of Shaoyin - "shock"; Shaoyang decomposes into the yang of Shaoyang - "xun" and Shaoyang - "Kan"; Taiyin decomposes into the yang of Taiyin - "Gan" and Taiyin - "Kun".

Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gan and Kun are the third-level combination of yin and yang, collectively referred to as "gossip". This process is called "Four Elephants Gossip". Eight elephants are nothing more than yin and yang, four elephants are nothing more than two things, Taiji moves yin and yang, and heaven and earth are nothing more than one yin and one yang!

[Four Elephants Theology]

Zhou Yi is mainly an ancient book about the changes of yin and yang, gossip, and 64 hexagrams.

The Tibetan elephant theory in the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic (or Su Wen and Lingshu) is the application of the yin and yang five elements theory in traditional Chinese medicine.

The changes of gossip and 64 hexagrams in Zhou Yi do not involve the five elements, because the gossip system and the five elements system are two independent systems.

The eight trigram system and the five elements system are rooted in the theory of Taiji, Yin and Yang, and Four Elephants.

After the theory of the four elephants, there are two development directions: the theory of five elements and the eight trigrams.

Recognizing this will help us get through the barriers and delve into the essence of these ancient doctrines.

The emergence of the theory of the four elephants helped the ancients understand the objective world.

"Elephant" is the kind of "elephant", which is a method of classifying and analyzing things by the ancients, and a means and method of understanding the world.

The four elephants refer to: Shaoyin, Sun, Shaoyang and Taiyin - which can represent spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively; four types of things and phenomena such as life, elder, old age and death, and divide things and phenomena into four stages and four related situations.

In order to make it easier to understand, the ancients replaced the above four elephants with four common things.

These four common things are "gold, wood, water and fire".

The specific alternatives are: gold - Shaoyin; fire - sun; wood - Shaoyang; water - Taiyin.

"Wood, fire, gold and water" is the "four elements" (lack of "earth" line) in the later five elements theory.

After "wood fire and gold water" replaces "shaoyin, sun, Shaoyang and Taiyin", they are no longer these four common things in specific life. They have become "four elephants", artificially given concepts, and become philosophical and theoretical things.

Later, when the ancients thought that other things and phenomena were similar to wood, fire, gold and water, they could be classified as the four elephants of wood, fire, gold and water.

After the establishment and application of the Four Elephants, the ancients would think about the following questions:

1. The quarter method is too rough. After the quarter method, how to classify things in more detail? What is the relationship between the categories of things and the laws of change?

2. What are the reasons for the classification and change of the "four elephants"?

The first problem leads to the emergence of the gossip theory; the second problem leads to the emergence of the five elements theory. Taiji is divided into two parts to get yin and yang (two instruments).

Yin and Yang are divided into two, and four elephants are obtained - "shaoyin, sun, Shaoyang and Taiyin", which were later called "wood, fire, gold and water" respectively.

If the Arabic numerals "1, 2, 3, 4" are used to represent the four images, then according to the classification method of "odd numbers are positive numbers, even numbers are negative numbers", the largest odd number is 3, which can represent the sun with the most yang; the largest even number is 4, which can represent Taiyin with the most qi.

The sum of 1.2, 3 and 4 is 10, and 10 can be separated from "1, 2, 3, 4", so "10" can be regarded as Tai Chi.

Taiji is divided into yin and yang, 10 can be divided into 5 and 5, one is the yin number 5, and the other is the positive number 5.

The positive number 5 can be decomposed into 3 and 2. Corresponding to the four elephants, 3 is the sun, which is fire; 2 is less yin, which is wood.

The negative number 5 can be decomposed into 4 and 1. Corresponding to the four elephants, 4 is Taiyin, which is water; 1 is Shaoyang, which is gold.

So, the result of matching "wood, fire, gold, water" and "1, 2, 3, 4" is:

Wood-2, it is Shaoyin.

Fire - 3, it is the sun.

Jin-1, it is Shaoyang.

Water - 4, it's Taiyin.

From water to wood, from "yin 4" to "yin 2", is the process of less yin qi and more yang qi.

The change from fire to gold is from "yang 3" to "yang 1", which is a process of less yang and more yin.

Here, "4, 2, 3, 1" represents a concept, not a specific proportion, so in the theory of four elephants, the ratio of yin and yang qi of "water" and "fire" is not "4:3"; the ratio of yin and yang qi of "wood" and "gold" is not "2:1"

"Wood and fire" are all derived from "Yang Qi 5", so it is classified as "Yang" in "Two Instruments".

"Gold and water" are all derived from "Yin qi 5", so it is classified as "Yin" in "Two Instruments".

Therefore, the four elephants (wood, fire, gold, water) are used to correspond to the four seasons of the year, which can correspond to spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively.

From spring to summer, the yang qi gradually rises; from autumn to winter, the yin qi gradually rises.

When the four elephants correspond to life, "wood, fire, gold and water" can represent life, elder, and death respectively - it represents the four consecutive processes of life from nothing (life), from strong to strong (long), from strong to weak (old), and from weak to nothing (death).

According to the theory of yin and yang, yin and yang are mutually alternate. The so-called "cathode yang, yang yin" is also.

Taking the four images as an example, yang qi is divided into "wood and fire", and yin qi is divided into "gold and water".

The cycle of the four elephants of "wood, fire, gold and water" is a process in which yang and yin qi continue to alternate.

"Water" is the pole of yin qi, and "cathode yang", so "water" changes to "wood", that is, "wood"; "wood" yang qi continues to rise and changes to "fire"; "fire" is the pole of yang, "anodic yin", so "fire" becomes "gold", that is, fire is, gold; "gold" yin qi continues to rise and changes to "Water" is golden water.

Wood-2, it is Shaoyin.

Fire - 3, it is the sun.

Jin-1, it is Shaoyang.

Water - 4, it's Taiyin.

The above four elephants can also be expressed in another way - that is, according to the theory of mutual root of yin and yang, it is expressed by their "birth" (that is, the cause of occurrence).

For example, "wood - 2, fire - 3" is derived from the "positive number 5" and is divided into two. Therefore, wood is "Yin 2" and fire is "Yang 3".

Wood appears because "yang 5" is divided into "yang 3", so "wood" can be said to be "yang 3 wood". In the same reason, fire appears because "yang 5" is divided into "yin 2, so "fire" can be said to be "yin 2 fire". In ancient times, yang could correspond to "heaven" and yin could correspond to "ground", so "yang 3 wood" and "yin 2 fire" can be said to be "three heaven trees, earth two fire."

For another example, "gold-1, water-4," is derived from the "yin number 5" and is divided into two. Therefore, water is "yin 4" and gold is "yang 1".

Gold appears because "yin number 5" is divided into "yin 4", so it can be said to be "yin 4 gold"; in the same case, water appears because "yin number 5" is divided into "yang 1", so it can be said to be "yang 1 water". Yang can mean "heaven" and Yin can mean "ground". Therefore, it can be said that "the sky is full of water, and the earth is full of gold".

As mentioned above, the order and law of yin and yang changes of the four elephants (wood, fire, gold, water) have been established, and the general law of the change of things has been established.

The four elephants have an obvious nature of repeating.

The four elephants correspond to the four seasons of the year, obviously with periodic changes.

If the seeds of plants and the offspring of animals are regarded as the special regeneration methods of life, then the four elephants correspond to the four stages of life: life, elder, old age and death, and life is also periodic.

The change of the four images, over and over again, is the general law of the development and change of things.

There are ordinary, but there are specials.

Taking the four seasons of the year as an example, its law of change is related to the sun and the moon. The sun and the moon have been running for billions of years, which is a relatively eternal thing. It is said that the earth's climate change is 75 million years is a cycle. During this period, the change law of the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) is roughly unchanged.