We have studied the genesis of the category system of the Wuxing Theory within the framework of the cognitive theory of Xiang-metaphor. It is concluded that Xiang-metaphor is the main cognitive mechanism of the Wuxing Theory and the Wuxing Theory is a theoretical constructive metaphor system. On this basis

a hypothesis about the development of culture is put forward

i. e. the occurrence of a culture is based on a theoretical constructive metaphor

which directly participates in the formation of the initial concept or directly converts into the initial concept of this culture

under which a series of basic propositions are formed. Originating from this metaphor

it participates in the formation of the original concepts

making every corner of this culture full of this kind of metaphor. Through the corpus analysis of traditional Chinese medicine

Buddhist scriptures

Bible and other cultural classics

and combined with other people’s research results

we analyze and demonstrate the rationality of the hypothesis.