This is the method mentioned more than 2000 years ago in "Discussion on Principles of Yin-Yang Doctrine and its Relations with Natural Things and Phenomena", a chapter of Plain Questions. The content includes "anger impairs the liver while grief restricts anger"; "joy impairs the heart while fear restricts joy"; "anxiety impairs the spleen while anger restricts anxiety"；"melancholy impairs the lung while joy restricts melancholy" and "fear impairs the kidney while anxiety restricts fear." This method of checking one emotion with another is based on the principle of excess curing excess.
“五情相克”的方法早在2000多年前的《黃帝內(nèi)經(jīng)素問(wèn)》（小編注：《黃帝內(nèi)經(jīng)素問(wèn)》簡(jiǎn)稱《素問(wèn)》，是現(xiàn)存最早的中醫(yī)理論著作，相傳為黃帝創(chuàng)作，大約成書(shū)于春秋戰(zhàn)國(guó)時(shí)期。突出闡發(fā)了古代的哲學(xué)思想，強(qiáng)調(diào)了人體內(nèi)外統(tǒng)一的整體觀念，從而成為中醫(yī)基本理論的淵源。）討論五行學(xué)說(shuō)與自然現(xiàn)象的章節(jié)中就有涉及?！拔迩橄嗫恕钡膬?nèi)容包括“怒傷肝而悲能勝怒；喜傷心而恐勝喜；思傷脾而怒勝思；憂傷肺而喜勝憂；恐傷腎而思勝恐?！边@種方法的理論依據(jù)是“五行相生相克”（小編注：五行相克，指的是事物的相互克制、制約或抑制的關(guān)系，如木克土，土克水，水克火，火克金，金克木。五行在中醫(yī)理論中是指構(gòu)成天地萬(wàn)物的五種基本物質(zhì)，用以說(shuō)明世界萬(wàn)物的起源和世界是物質(zhì)多樣性的統(tǒng)一體。）

1 Fear restricts joy
恐勝喜

This is a method to restrain great joy impairing the heart and restore mental functions by applying fearful factors to astringe the dissipated cardiac spirit. The method is often applicable to endless laughing as well as emotional disorders due to excessive joy.
這是一種利用使人恐懼的事物收斂心力、抑制狂喜對(duì)心臟造成傷害，恢復(fù)心臟功能的方法。通常用于治療笑病以及狂喜導(dǎo)致的情緒紊亂。

2 Anger restricts anxiety
怒勝思

This is a method to restore functions of the heart and spleen by using irritating factors to restrain excessive anxiety. The method is often applicable to melancholia, insomnia, epilepsy, etc. caused by impairment of the spleen and consumption of spirit due to excessive anxiety.
這是一種利用能夠激怒人的事物抑制過(guò)度焦慮，從而恢復(fù)心臟和脾臟的功能的方法。通常用于過(guò)度焦慮導(dǎo)致的憂郁癥、失眠癥。

3 Joy restricts grief
喜勝悲

This is a method to overcome excessive grief by utilizing funny factors. The method often makes use of romantic, very witty and humorous language, and amusing performance, telling jokes, listening to xiangsheng and watching plays. The method is often clinically applicable to crying with grief and hysteria as well as diseases due to excessive grief.
這是一種利用使人愉悅的事物抑制過(guò)度悲傷的方法。通常利用智慧、幽默的語(yǔ)言，滑稽的表演來(lái)達(dá)到效果，比如聽(tīng)笑話、相聲，看戲劇表演等。這種方法臨床主要用于過(guò)度悲傷引起的慟哭、歇斯底里等癥狀。

4 Grief restricts anger
悲勝怒

This is a method to restrain excessive anger by making use of grievous factors. The method is commonly applicable to other diseases with accompanying emotional excitement such as vertigo, mania and epilepsy.
這是一種利用使人悲傷的事物抑制過(guò)度憤怒的方法。用于情緒亢奮引起的眩暈、狂躁、癲癇等。

5 Anxiety restricts fear
思勝恐

This is a method to restrain fright and fear by adopting anxious factors. The method is commonly applied in rehabilitation to get rid of the patient's fearful mood.
這是一種用令人焦慮的事物抑制恐懼的方法。用于擺脫恐懼情緒的恢復(fù)治療。