- 會議論文
五行始終、五味調和－－中國飲食美學初探
The Five Elements In Phase And The Five Flavors In Harmony -- An Introduction To The Aesthetics Of Chinese Gastronomy
摘要
五行終始說，是中國學術史上最具爭議也是最重要的理論之一。五行論的五種基本「物質」相生相剋、井然有序的演化關係，提供了中國人一個最簡單而完整的調和與秩序的解釋。五行也代表了中國人對於宇宙萬事萬物追求統一、調和與秩序之美的強烈要求。此外，因為五行的展延性，可以更自由的解釋宇宙中一切具備五的基數之同類事物的演變狀況。如五味酸、苦、甘、辛、鹹對應於木、火、土、金、水之調和關係。本文針對《禮記》及《周官》中有關中國飲食的記載，以五行學說檢證五味調和的烹調原理，是否真的具備與五行相似的秩序性與調和性。飲食也是禮樂的起源，本文也探討了中國禮樂與飲食之美。初步發現五行說只能部份說明中國飲食調和的關係。要建立中國飲食文化的美學，還需要作進一步的研究。
關鍵字
無資料並列摘要
The Theory of phases or cycles of the Five Elements has been one of the most discussed but also one of the most important theories in the development of China's academic history. The theory, with the orderly relation of the five fundamental elements that are generahed from one another but which also overcome one another , ha s provided the Chinese people with the simplest and yet the most complete explanation of universal order and harmony. T he Five Elements Theory also symbolizes Chinese culture's strong demand for order, unity and harmony in everything in the universe. Because of the easy applicability of the five elements theory, moreover, it has been freely used to account for the transmutation of any quintet in the world, such as the five flavor s of sour, bitter, sweet, pepperiness and saltiness, following the orignal order of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This article, based on descriptions of the Chinese diet recorded in the Book of Rites and he Official Record of Chou Dynasty, considers whether the preparation of foods according to the five flavors theory has the same orderliness and the harmony of the Five Elements Theory. Diet, at the same time, is also the origin of rites and music. This article also looks into how the Chinese rites, music, and gastronomy are correlated. The initial results of our analysis indicate that the Five Elements Theory only partially explains the preparation of Chinese food. In order to establish the aesthetics of Chinese gastronomy, further inquiries are still to be made.