「金」是五行之一，五行則是東方文化最根源性的分類範疇。「金」和其他四行不一樣之處，在於它既意指「黃金」此專名，也可泛指一切金屬在內的通名，但以青銅為主。本文將「金」視為中國思想中最根源性的隱喻，我們可稱之為喻根。「金」此喻根隱含的象徵意義有三，一是「刑—型」（或刑—法），「刑—型」含一組矛盾統一的語言，它既意指包含戰爭與刑法在內的刑罰，也指規範意義的型範或原始秩序。金的第二層涵義為「轉化」之義，此義來自冶煉之術，冶煉之術不管指的是將卑金屬轉化成黃金的黃白之術，或指將金屬煉成完美的劍、鏡，它都需要修煉—轉化的歷程。「金」的第三層象徵意義為「不朽」，「不朽」是對時間的抗拒。抗拒時間的學問有二，一是作為歷史記憶載體的金石之學；一是壽與天地相保的仙人之道——金丹之術。儒門德目中，作為「刑—型」的「金」行具體化為「義」此基本道德；先秦學派當中，法家與兵家的學問性格與之相近。「不朽」意義最濃的金石之學與煉丹術也經歷了意義的轉化，兩者皆指向真正的不朽在於超越的心性以及其道德影響，「金」變成了真正的隱喻。

Gold is one of the Five Phases, basic categories in traditional Chinese culture. Gold has two different meanings. One denotes gold itself; the other meaning includes all metals, but usually refers to bronze. The term gold in this paper covers both. The present paper regards the Five Phases as basic metaphors, which we can call root metaphors. Gold as a root metaphor has three symbolic meanings. One is the unity of the opposition between violence and order: Gold is associated with the smith and the warrior, who make and use bronze-iron weapons to destroy the status quo. Nevertheless, order and disorder are androgynous. Gold always sends a message of war as well as of establishment. The second kind of symbolic meaning of gold is transformation. Alchemy presupposes the transformation from valueless metals into valuable gold, which requires a long refinement process. The third meaning is immortality. There are two branches of science concerned with resisting the threat of time. One is the study of bronze and stone inscriptions (金石之學), and the other is alchemy. The former was established as a permanent repository of history; the latter was believed to make humans immortal. The first symbolic meaning mentioned above is incarnated in the concept of yi (義, justice), similar to key concepts of Legalism and the School of War. The third symbol, immortality, gradually transforms its meaning. Matter, including bronze artifacts and diamonds, like the human body, cannot escape the destruction of time. Genuine immortality is believed to exist only in the transcendental plane, like the Great Mind or Human Nature. Thus, Gold becomes a real metaphor.