中国古代哲学中的“二”“三”与“多”的观念

在哲学观念中,只要突破了"二",承认了"三",那么,"多"便是不言而喻的了,因为三正是通向"多"的桥梁。中国古代哲学中的阴阳说是一种典型的二元关系学说,"一分为二"合二而一"的提法正是阴阳泛化的二元对立观念的体现。西汉哲学家扬雄首提"三分法",并由此构造出另一套与《周易》的二分法相区别的《太玄》经卦体系,进而提出种种三三见九之说。早在西周末年史伯就表述了一种"和实生物,同则不继"的多元综合的复杂性思想。五行说也具有克服二的简单性观念,将世界的本原建立在复杂性的多样化基元及其相互作用的关系之上的意义和价值。

The Notion of "Two", "Three" and "Many" in Ancient Chinese Philosophy

In philosophical idea,so long as we break the "two" and acknowledge the "three",then the "many" is self-evident,because "three" is the bridge leading to "many".Ancient Chinese philosophy of "yin and yang" is a typical binary relations doctrine.The notion of "one divides into two","to combine two to one" just embodies the generalization of the "yin and yang" dualistic opposite concepts.Philosopher Yang Xiong in the Western Han Dynasty firstly put forward "trichotomy",and constructed another Confucian symbol system of "Taixuan",which was different from the dichotomy of Zhouyi.As a result,he put forward varied doctrine of "three multiplies three is nine".As early as in the Western Zhou oynasty,Shi Bo expressed a multiple integrated complex ideology which was summarized as "synthesizing different things could create a new thing,synthesizing same things could not do it".The five element theory also has the meaning and value of overcoming simple concepts of "two" so as to think that the origin of the world is established on complicated and multiform essential elements and their interaction.