A brief introduction to the five elements in Jin Yong's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"

When I first read Mr. Jin Yong's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" ("The Condor Heroes" for short), I thought the main plot was about a boy and a girl, and it seemed like the next generation of two feuding families were talking about each other. In love, Chen Xuanfeng, the abandoned disciple of Huang Yaoshi on Peach Blossom Island, died under Guo Jing's dagger. Zhang Asheng, the Seven Monsters of Jiangnan, died from Chen Xuanfeng's Nine Yin White Bone Claws to save Han Xiaoying. The feud was forged. When Guo Jing grew up and fell in love with Huang Rong, the six monsters firmly opposed this little demon girl, and Mei Chaofeng continued to pester her to avenge her husband.

If "The Condor" is about Guo Jing's appointment with Jiajing in the 18th year, he fights monsters and upgrades along the way, encounters various small bosses along the way, meets Huang Rong, and starts a love affair that is both epic and tearful, and he loves and hates him at home. Wandering between times, he finally became famous and guarded Xiangyang. It would be too blasphemous to Mr. Jin Yong.

Even though Guo Jing is the protagonist, the key content is still the story of the Five Great Masters and the "Nine Yin Manual". Chinese culture has always paid attention to confrontation. Relying on the ranking relationship of these five masters, a pattern was created. In the depth of this pattern, Mr. Jin Yong talks about the grievances and disputes about fame and fortune in the world, not as a boring chowder, but as a cooking delicacy.

The five great masters of "The Condor Shooting" are Dongxie, Xidu, Nandi, Beibei, and Zhongshentong, which are derived from the classical Five Elements theory.

The east belongs to wood, and life is endless. It is the place where immortals live in ancient times. For example, there is Penglai Fairy Island. According to Buddhism, there is a Medicine Buddha in the east. Therefore, Dongxie is named Huang Medicine Master. He lives on Peach Blossom Island and has many martial arts styles; The West belongs to gold, and its symbol is the golden cicada. It has many mountains and is the main killer, so the West Poison is named Ouyang Feng, his son is named Ouyang Ke, and his martial arts is Toad Kung Fu.

"Eastern evils and western poisons" is also a term of traditional Chinese medicine, which connects geography with the human body. It is said that Easterners are susceptible to wind evils, while Westerners are prone to deep-seated diseases. Because Jin defeated wood, Xi poison destroyed Dong Xie's Peach Blossom Island.

The south belongs to fire and has the sign of rising. It is an emperor in secular life and a monk in monkhood, so the south emperor is a monk. Meaning, so Nan Di's martial arts is a yang finger. Since fire overcomes metal, it can exactly restrain Xidu's toad technique. (It is worth mentioning that the Southern Emperor's Yiyang Finger was taught by Wang Chongyang.)

There is water in the north, and the water is humble. The most humble person in the world is a beggar, who is closest to the public. In the "Book of Changes River Picture", there is "Two Seven on the Top", so the Northern Beggar is named Hong Qigong. He has nine fingers. The water is from soft to strong, and when it surges, it is powerful. Therefore, the martial arts of the Northern Beggar is the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, which is the best in the world. The most powerful martial arts.

The center is earth, which is a neutral state, between the tangible and the intangible, so Chongyang, the king of supernatural powers, died as soon as he appeared in the book and disappeared in a flash. The person who replaced Wang Chongyang was the old naughty boy Zhou Botong. Laozi said that childhood is the neutral state of human beings.

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai is well aware of Mr. Jin Yong's approach. In the movie "Ashes of Time", Ouyang Feng has this monologue: "If you don't count to seven, you will end your life." It happened that on the day Hong Qi left, Lost Star was on duty, benefiting the north of Italy.

In his later years, Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng dueled on the snowy top of Mount Huashan ("The Legend of the Condor Heroes"), and ended up embracing each other and dying. It is said in Ouyang Feng's destiny book: The sun in the husband and wife palace becomes a taboo, and the marriage is real but not in name. Unexpectedly, it coincides with Mr. Jin Yong.

Let’s talk about Zhou Botong’s success.

It comes from "The Doctrine of the Mean", the title of the Book of Rites, written by Chuan Zisi. What is middle? The most popular way to say it is neither up nor down, neither left nor right, neither forward nor backward. What is mediocrity, mediocrity, means what you do is mediocre. People who are not mediocre can do mediocre things because they are not mediocre, so they can succeed, and because they can be willing to be mediocre, they can understand. "Book of Changes Qian Jiu Er Wenyan" says: "Believe in what is said and be cautious in what is done." This is the way of "the golden mean".

Zhou Botong is mediocre and mediocre. He is very childlike and has never lost his innocence. He has no scheming. Although he is older, he still talks and acts like a naughty boy. He can show his childlike innocence without restraint, and even if someone scolds him, he won't be upset and will continue to play as he wants. Even if someone blames me, he can still say, I am still a child, or the baby is unhappy (serious face)!

The ancients said: The great road seems to be unworthy, so those who are unworthy can often be moderate.

Perhaps this is the true meaning of Zhou Botong’s happiness.

You will get something out of playing around. The traditional cultural atmosphere in Mr. Jin Yong's novels is still very strong. If you want to explore more deeply, it is definitely not a superficial taste.

To put it simply, the Five Elements is just a trap you have set for yourself, and you have to get out of it slowly.