本文嘗試結合語言文字、思想內涵、社會背景等面向的語境，說明〈五行〉與〈五行說〉中「顏色容貌溫弁」的釋讀。認為「弁」字具有文彩交錯、明著之義，在〈五行〉脈絡中表述君子於禮的社會背景下，其身心氣修養臻至完美、形體儀態有如玉色溫潤，呈現文彩斐然的樣子。此是上承《論語》「文質彬彬」所提出的類似修養口訣，以個體的身心修養來落實禮的最大意義。相對於《論語》與〈五行〉，《孟子》對道德的內在本然傾注更多關懷，除了回應身體論述提出踐形，更建立惻隱之心與性善等屹立不搖的成德根基。此外，〈五行說〉擴大〈五行〉對「弁」的理解，以勉、遜的聲訓表達經由勸勉、行進、順從、擴充而產生變動、變化的意義，此是上承〈五行〉，並且融合類似孟學的思想所致。縱跨戰國至漢初，書寫於不同時間層次的〈五行〉與〈五行說〉，保留了此一時段對於身心思考的歷史痕跡，映襯著儒學思想發展的細微轉移。

This study considers a problematic phrase, “yanse rongmao wenbian 顏色 容貌溫弁,” which appears in the bamboo and silk manuscripts of the “Five Virtues 五行,” aiming to situate this text in the proper linguistic, intellectual and social contexts of Early China. It suggests that bian 弁 means “variegated” and “prominent patterns,” and as used in the “Five Virtues,” describes the appearance of the Confucian gentleman, in a setting where the rites are observed, who has perfected the cultivation of body, mind, and energy, such that he has become gentle and mild, elegant and polished like jade. This is directly descended from the conception of a well-balanced admixture of native substance and acquired refinement in the Analects. In contrast to this, the Mencius devotes more attention to the innateness of virtue. Responding to discourse on the body, Mencius identifies the solid foundation of moral ethics in the compassion and the goodness of human nature. The “Commentary on the Five Virtues 五行說” elaborates on this understanding of bian, and offers new meanings for the term. By carefully examining the relevant sources, this study hopes to draw attention to subtle shifts in the development of Confucian thought from the Warring States to the early Han.