五行学说(the theory of five elements)是中国古代的一种物质观。五行包括金、木、水、火和土五种要素。五行学说强调整体概念，描绘了事物的结构关系和运动形式。五行学说认为宇宙万物都是基于这五种要素的运行和变化。这五个要素相互作用，不但影响到人的命运，同时也使宇宙万物循环不已。五行学说成熟干汉代 (the Han Dynasty)，之后广泛应用于中医、建筑和武术(martial arts}等领域。

　　The theory of five elements is a concept of matterin ancient China. The five elements include metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The theory of fiveelements emphasizes on an overall concept, describing the structural relationships and forms ofmovement of matters. The theory holds thateverything in the universe is based on the movement and change of these five elements. These five elements interact with each other, affecting a person's fate as well as making theuniverse move in endless cycles. The theory got mature in the Han Dynasty and was widelyemployed in the fields like traditional Chinese medicine, architecture, and martial arts.

（编辑：赵宁）