以五德终始理论解释朝代更迭、历史变迁的做法,肇始于战国时期。《史记·孟荀列传》曰:“邹衍……称天地剖判以来,五德转移,治各有宜,而符应若兹。”现在一般人都根据这段话视邹衍为五德终始说的“始作俑者”。这一理论问世后,影响是很大的。有人兜售之、秦始皇采纳之。到了两汉,这一理论更是大为流行,成为儒者论证汉祚合理性,解释历史演进现象的重要理论之一。在当时,关于汉德问题的议论,概括起来,主要有三种意见。第一种,是西汉初期张苍所倡导的汉为“水德”说。《汉书·任敖传》言:“苍为 Beginning with the Warring States Period, the practice of explaining the changes of the dynasty and historical changes with the theory of the Five-German Rendition began. “Historical Records Meng Xun Biography” said: “Zou said ... ... ... ... world judge since the world, the five German transfer, rule each appropriate, and should be if Ruozi.” Now most people are based on this passage Zou Yan as the beginning of the five virtues The “initiator”. After the advent of this theory, the impact is great. Some people sell it, Qin Shi Huang adopted it. In the two Han dynasties, this theory was even more prevalent and became one of the important theories of Confucian justification and explanation of historical evolution. At the time, the arguments on the Hande question summed up mainly three opinions. The first is the Han advocated by Zhang Cang in the early Western Han Dynasty as a “water morality.” “Han Ren Ao Chuan,” said: "Cang for