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《黄帝内经素问》（小编注：《黄帝内经素问》简称《素问》，是现存最早的中医理论著作，相传为黄帝创作，大约成书于春秋战国时期。突出阐发了古代的哲学思想，强调了人体内外统一的整体观念，从而成为中医基本理论的渊源。）讨论五行学说与自然现象的章节中就有涉及。“五情相克”的内容包括“怒伤肝而悲能胜怒；喜伤心而恐胜喜；思伤脾而怒胜思；忧伤肺而喜胜忧；恐伤肾而思胜恐。”这种方法的理论依据是“五行相生相克”（小编注：五行相克，指的是事物的相互克制、制约或抑制的关系，如木克土，土克水，水克火，火克金，金克木。五行在中医理论中是指构成天地万物的五种基本物质，用以说明世界万物的起源和世界是物质多样性的统一体。）

1 Fear restricts joy

恐胜喜

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.

这是一种利用使人恐惧的事物收敛心力、抑制狂喜对心脏造成伤害，恢复心脏功能的方法。通常用于治疗笑病以及狂喜导致的情绪紊乱。

2 Anger restricts anxiety

怒胜思

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.

这是一种利用能够激怒人的事物抑制过度焦虑，从而恢复心脏和脾脏的功能的方法。通常用于过度焦虑导致的忧郁症、失眠症。

3 Joy restricts grief

喜胜悲

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.

这是一种利用使人愉悦的事物抑制过度悲伤的方法。通常利用智慧、幽默的语言，滑稽的表演来达到效果，比如听笑话、相声，看戏剧表演等。这种方法临床主要用于过度悲伤引起的恸哭、歇斯底里等症状。

4 Grief restricts anger

悲胜怒

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.

这是一种利用使人悲伤的事物抑制过度愤怒的方法。用于情绪亢奋引起的眩晕、狂躁、癫痫等。

5 Anxiety restricts fear

思胜恐

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.

这是一种用令人焦虑的事物抑制恐惧的方法。用于摆脱恐惧情绪的恢复治疗。