The Origin of Yin and Yang in Chinese Medicine Versus Macrobiotics, Part 1 of 3: The Laws of Complementary Opposites
The origin of Yin and Yang in the Chinese language dates back hundreds, if not thousands of years. We learn about The Laws of Complementary Opposites –– Yin and Yang –– early on in our training as students of Oriental medicine. The use of Yin and Yang is likewise fundamental to macrobiotic teachings, with one caveat. The definition of Yin and Yang in macrobiotics differs from its use in the Chinese language, and in Oriental medicine and philosophy. Why is this? What are the origins of Yin and Yang in far Eastern philosophy, versus how it came to be used in macrobiotics? Perhaps more importantly for you, how can the knowledge of yin and yang be applied for self-healing?
I will address these topics in this 3-part series of articles exploring the origin of Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine, versus macrobiotics. You may also want to read my bonus, part 4, Why the Concept of Principal and Complementary Foods Matters.
Articles in This Series:
In this part 1, I begin with the origin of Yin and Yang in the Chinese language, Asian philosophy and Chinese medicine. I also share Don's refined version of The Laws of Complementary Opposites, reprinted from The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness, at the end.
In part 2, I explain –– as best as I am able –– the origin of Yin and Yang as introduced by George Ohsawa, considered by many to be the Father of modern macrobiotics. This discussion highlights the relationship between Ohsawa's concepts of centrifugal versus centripetal forces, yin and yang, acid and alkaline, and the ratio of potassium to sodium salts in foods. I also summarize the similarities and differences between the use of Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine versus macrobiotics.
In part 3, I show how you can put Yin and Yang to practical use, especially with respect to dietary choices. Understanding yin and yang is like having a compass to guide you to make the best choices and/or tweak your diet to restore balance, and enjoy optimal health and happiness. This is the crux of my book, The Macrobiotic Action Plan, or more simply, The MAP which I wrote as a manual for self-healing.
In my bonus part 4, I share why understanding the concept of principal and complementary foods can simplify meal planning and improve your health. I discuss the five common dietary patterns of successful populations around the world in this post.
In later articles, I will also be discussing George Ohsawa Conditions of Health, and Levels of Judgement.
What is Yin and Yang and The Law of Complementary Opposites?
While following The Brown Rice Diet for about 10 days, we realized that many symptoms we had experienced over the years ~ especially while following plant-based diets ~ had likely been the result of consuming an unhealthy balance of potassium in relation to sodium, along with too much liquid, for me especially. It caused us to be 'too Yin!' Sine many people are unfamiliar with what exactly it means to be 'too yin', I decided to write this series of posts. I also want to clarify the similarities and differences in the use these terms in Chinese medicine versus macrobiotics, a somewhat controversial and confounding topic.
The Origins of Yin and Yang, Part 1
Yin and Yang is used to describe all known phenomena. The concept of One Original Source creating two opposing, yet complimentary forces which in turn create all physical material existence can be found in ancient Taoist, Chinese, Greek and Indian mythology, and throughout the ancient world.
The Law of Complementary Opposites –– Yin and Yang –– describe the relationship of one phenomena to another; and the understanding that everything is always changing. At the extreme, Yin and Yang change into their opposite. Night becomes day. Day becomes night. Seasons change. After a cold winter, with fewer daylight hours, warmth returns, with longer days. We feel hot relative to the experience of feeling cold. We are active during the day, and we rest at night. Nothing is static, nothing is fully Yin or Yang. Yin and Yang are not finite dualistic concepts, but rather we experience Yin and Yang in varying degrees; something is more Yin or Yang relative to something else.
Since we are exploring the origin of Yin and Yang, Don inspired me to first look at its use in the Chinese language, as he has some training in the Chinese language. He helped write this section.
Chinese Pictographs for Yin and Yang YIN & YANG
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| 3 pairs of pictographs representing Yin & Yang in the Chinese language, courtesy of Wikipedia |
To the right I have the three pairs of Chinese pictographs representing Yin (left column) and Yang (right column) from different eras. According to Wikipedia, the top pair is seal script, a style of writing Chinese characters that was common throughout the latter half of the 1st millennium BC. "It evolved organically out of bronze script during the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC)."
The middle pair is the traditional version; and the bottom is the modern, simplified version. On the left hand side of either pictograph is the character representing a hill. The right hand side of each pictograph distinguishes Yin from Yang. In the pictographs for Yin, the left hand side of the character depicts clouds in the sky and casting a shadow on the hill. Hence, the whole character depicts the shaded or Northern side of a hill. In the pictographs for Yang (right hand column) the right hand side of the character depicts the sun and its beams or rays. Hence, the whole character for Yang depicts the sunny or Southern side of a hill. Thus, to the ancient Chinese the Sun represented Yang, hence Yang is brightness, heat, and dryness; and the opposite conditions––namely darkness, cold, and moisture––represented Yin.
By extension, since the Sun resides in the sky, the sky is the source or home of Yang. When clouds block the Sun's rays from reaching Earth, or night falls, we experience darkness, colder temperatures, and an increase in moisture, so the Chinese concluded that in the absence of the Sun's influence, Earth is Yin.
Yin and Yang in The I Ching, One of The Chinese Classics
The Yijing or I Ching –– The Classic of Changes, or Book of Changes –– an ancient text that is likely the most recognized Chinese book in the West uses a broken line [–– ––] to represent Yin, and a solid line [––––] to represent Yang. The I Ching dates back at least to around 800 B.C.E., during the Western Zhou dynasty, although it is believed to have originated with Fu Xi, one of the first three emperors of China, although some believe Fu Xi was a mythological creature, also credited for teaching writing, and introducing the institution of marriage. In the article, Fu Xi's I Ching On How To Move Heaven and Earth, by Rascal Voyages, the emergence of Fu Xi is theorized to be about 2600 B.C.E. around the time of China's conversion from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society.
According to Chinese mythology, "Fu Xi, a dragon or snake with a human face studied patterns of nature in the sky and on the earth: the markings on birds, rocks, and animals, the movement of clouds, the arrangement of the stars. He discovered that everything could be reduced to eight trigrams, each composed of three stacked solid or broken lines, reflecting the yin and yang, the duality that drives the universe." (The China File, What is the I Ching?, Feb., 25, 2016)
The I Ching is used as a system of divination, however, it reads more like a treatise on living an honorable life, covering topics from rulership to marriage, medicine, and more. It was originally comprised of 8 trigrams, symbolized by 3 vertically stacked yin or yang lines, each representing a feature of nature: Earth, Thunder, Water, Mountain, Lake Fire, Wind & Heaven.
Earth Heaven
–– –– ––––
–– –– ––––
–– –– ––––
What is notable for our discussion here is that Earth is the most Yin trigram with 3 vertically stacked broken lines, and Heaven, the most Yang trigram is symbolized with 3 vertically stacked unbroken lines. The 8 trigrams were later combined to create 64 hexagrams with every combination of two intersecting trigrams. Each hexagram was named and numbered and an oracle or 'judgement' was written for each.
Yin and Yang According to Traditional Chinese Medicine
In another classic Chinese text dating back to around 500 B.C., The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Chinese Medicine, The Essential Text of Chinese Health and healing, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. recounts discourses with Huang Di, known as the Yellow Emperor. Huang Di was a child prodigy who 'developed keen powers for observing nature.' He engaged in discourses on many topics including medicine, health, lifestyle, nutrition and Taoist cosmology with his ministers, one of which was Qi Bo.
"Huang Di said, "The law of yin and yang is the natural order of the universe, the foundation of all things, mother of all changes, the root of life and death. In healing, one must grasp the root of the disharmony, which is always subject to the law of yin and yang.""
When Huang Di asks Qi Bo to elaborate on this concept, he replies:
"In the universe, the pure yang qi ascends to converge and form heaven, while the turbid yin qi descends and condenses to form the earth."
To keep this as brief as possible, below is a summary of Yin and Yang as per their discussion:
- Yang is active and noisy. It governs expansion, and is associated with the upper body, and the exterior. Clear Yang Qi ascends, and represents the energy, vital force, and potential. The Fire element is considered yang. Heat produces clear yang qi (pronounced chee) and roughly refers to the animating force of life, or more generically as energy.
- Yang qi surrounds and protects the Yin central core, just as the sun or Heaven surrounds and protects the Earth. Pathologies such as diarrhea occur when the clear yang qi descends.
- Yin is passive and quiet. It is responsible for contracting and becoming astringent, or coming together. It is the substance, the foundation, and the mother of all things that gives rise to all the potential. Water is Yin. Coldness produces turbid yin.
- Yin qi is associated with the lower part of the body, and the internal organs. When the turbid Yin qi becomes stuck in the upper part of the body, the head will feel full and distended.
It's in the Language - Father & Mother
Referring again to language for clues to determine the origin of Yin and Yang, we find parallels in our modern English language. Consider the use of the terms mother and father. According to Online Etymology, father, or fader in Middle English and other Proto-Germanic languages, used to refer to he who begets a child, the nearest male ancestor; also The Supreme Being. The PIE root in Greek and Latin, pater, is similar to pattern. (The PIE 'p' became the Germanic 'f'.)
The PIE root for mother is mater, or matar in Sanskrit. It has been used to refer to "that which has given birth to anything." Mother Nature, or Mother Earth –– used as an "expression of the earth as the giver of life" –– dates back to 1580. Mater is similar to matter, or that which is of a material substance, as opposed to father, which is seen as the pattern for which all material substance takes shape.
This harmonizes with the Chinese medicine perspective of Yin relating to substance, and the tastes, as you will read, below, and Yang referring to the energy that animates all life.
Chinese Differentiation of Syndromes
In Chinese medicine, we have several methods for determining patterns, or differentiation of syndromes, for which a diagnosis is made, and an appropriate treatment strategy is planned. Through observations and questioning, we first consider the chief complaint and symptoms of a client according to The Eight Principles:
- Yin or Yang
- Internal or external
- Deficiency or excess
- Hot or cold
External pathogenic factors in Chinese medicine includes: cold, heat, dryness, dampness, phlegm, wind, and toxic heat.
Internal factors are related to diet, lifestyle and the emotions.
In practice, clients present with a complex pattern of symptoms. For example, there can be an excess of cold causing premenstrual cramping, with an underlying deficiency on the Spleen and Stomach, or Earth element. Someone can have dryness (a Yang condition), while being cold (a Yin condition.)
Yin is associated with the fluids that nourish and lubricate us. Yang is the more invisible energetic force that animates and motivates us. In Chinese medicine, Qi moves the blood, and blood is the Mother of Qi.
Chinese medicine is more nuanced. We would consider someone who is too Yin to be Yang Deficient, lacking adequate warmth, fire, and energy or Qi. Symptoms would include: low energy, low motivation, low appetite, low moods, feeling cold or aversion to cold, preference for warming foods and beverages and warm clothing. Other complaints could be an inability to focus, cloudy thinking, mood swings, feeling very emotional, and poor elimination. This typically is the result of diet and lifestyle, such as when consuming too many cold or raw foods and beverages (similar to our above example of a woman presenting with premenstrual cramps), after having a chronic illness, or having a lifestyle that is very imbalanced or stressful, draining one's energy. A woman could also be Yang deficient after giving birth.
Likewise, someone considered 'too yang' in macrobiotics may be diagnosed as having excess toxic heat from an infection, or heat stroke during the summer time. More often, they may be Yin Deficient, which is considered a false heat (versus an excess of heat.) Symptoms ~ such as dryness, hot flashes, irritability, night sweats, and a preference for more cooling foods and beverages ~ are a result of a deficiency of yin fluids which are unable to control the fire element. As we age, our Yin substances, or hormones that keep us feeling young and juicy naturally wane. Menopause symptoms are classified as Yin Deficiency.
While the diagnosis is different relative to a macrobiotic assessment, the cause and outcome may be similar between macrobiotics and Chinese medicine, depending on the nature of a person's constitution and condition. For example, we can become Yin Deficient from an insufficient intake of the right foods which nourish the Yin, an excess of the wrong foods which cause stagnation, inappropriate lifestyle which burns up of the Yin essence.
At the Extreme, Yin Becomes Yang, and Vice Versa
As previously mentioned, one of the principles of Yin and Yang, The Law of Complementary Opposites states that nothing is purely yin or yang. As depicted in the Yin Yang symbol, there is always a little yin within yang (the black dot within the white area), and yang within yin (the white dot within the black area). Another states that at the extremes, Yin and Yang turn into their opposites. As an example, when it is hot outside, our perspiration cools us off. On a hot day, heat rises which can cause condensation that eventually turns into rain, which creates a cooling effect.
Likewise, the Yin Earthly Qi evaporates and transforms into clouds which can ultimately produce rain, which falls back to the earth. Yin becomes Yang, which returns, and becomes Yin once again.
Clear Yang Qi & Turbid Yin Qi
In the body, clear yang qi rises to the sensory organs, allowing us to interpret and discern all sensory inputs. The Yang Qi expands, and disperses over the surface of the body, and strengthens the four extremities.
Turbid Yin Qi descends to our lower orifices. Turbid Yin Qi nourishes our five primary 'Zang' or Yin (more full or replete) organs ~ the heart, lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys ~ and fills their paired, complementary 'Fu' or Yang (more hollow) organs ~ the small intestine, large intestine, gall bladder, stomach, and urinary bladder ~ respectively.
In TCM, the small intestine 'separates the pure from the impure.' The pure nutritive essence disperses throughout the body, the turbid / waste material is sent to the urinary bladder and large intestine for removal via the urine and stools.
When Yin and Yang are balanced, we maintain a clear, centered awareness, and our shen, our spirit are calm, and undisturbed.
According to our above minister, Qi Bo,
"The functional aspect of the body is yang and the nutritive or substantive aspect is yin. While food can be used to strengthen and nourish the body, the body's ability to transform it is dependent on qi. The functional part of the qi is derived from the jing/essence. Food is refined into jing/essence, which supports the qi, and the qi is required for both transformation and bodily functions. For this reason, when the diet is improper, the body may be injured, or if activities are excessive, the jing/essence qi can be exhausted."
"Taste is a yin quality, and has a descending nature, while qi is yang and rises to the upper orifices."
Heavy tastes, such as sour (citrus, vinegar) and bitter (dark leafy greens, coffee, dark chocolate) tastes are more purging and eliminating, and so are the most yin.
Pungent (spicy foods, ginger) and sweet tastes (whole grains, sweet root vegetables, winter squash, and sweets) are more dispersing, especially up and out to the surface of the body, and are therefore considered yang.
Lighter tastes and foods circulate more freely through the channels or meridians of our body. Lighter qi is expansive and has a tendency to disperse out of the body through the pores and orifices. Heavier qi helps stoke our internal fires, and can aid digestion. However, an excess of either can be damaging.
Continuing with our discourse, Qi Bo states: "The yin and yang in the body should be in balance with one another. If the yang qi dominates, the yin will be deprived, and vice versa."
Part 3 of this series focuses on recommendations common among both Chinese medicine and macrobiotics for maintaining balance, with general suggestions for adjusting one's diet depending on their constitution and condition.
For more information on how to tweak your diet for your personal needs, check out my book, The Macrobiotic Action Plan, in paperback or Ebook formats. You'll find a list of common symptoms according to whether they are more Yin or Yang, along with recommendations for the best foods and cooking techniques to restore balance in the appendix, along with shopping charts, meal plans, recipes and more.
I hope this clarifies how Yin and Yang is used in Chinese medicine.
In Part 3, we dive into the nuts and bolts of how to use Yin and Yang to make the best choices for your needs for self-healing.
For those interested, The Laws of Complementary Opposites has been reprinted from The MAP, below.
The Laws of Complementary Opposites
Yin and Yang, The Law of Complementary Opposites, consists of 12 Laws of Change. Don and I simplified this to 9 Laws which I have outlined in Appendix 1 of The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness (The MAP.)
- The ONE expresses itself in a continuous evolutionary motion of two complementary polar, or opposite forces, Yin and Yang.
- Yin corresponds to the cool, dark, heavier, denser energies of the Earth; Yang is lighter, warmer, brighter, and more active. Yang seeks to move upwards and outwards, towards the light, or Heaven, like a sprout reaching towards the sun. [To further elucidate, Yin is the feminine polarity, associated with the Earth. In the I Ching, Book of Changes, Earth is the most Yin or the eight trigrams, symbolized by three Yin broken lines, stacked vertically. Think of how many cultures refer to the Earth as Mother Earth, the source of all sustenance and abundance. From Earth, all material form is produced. The words matter, material, and mother all share a similar root. Yang is the masculine polarity. Heaven is the most Yang, symbolized in the I Ching by three unbroken lines stacked vertically.]
- Complementary opposites (male and female) attract one another; likes (such as the positive poles of two batteries) repel one another.
- The strength of attraction or repulsion between any two things always represents the degree of difference or similarity between them.
- Yin and Yang combine in an infinite variety of proportions, creating an infinite variety of unique phenomena.
- Nothin is absolutely Yin or Yang. Everything arises from and includes interaction of both forces.
- No thing is neutral; always either Yin or Yang characteristics dominate.
- Great Yin attracts small Yin. Great Yang attracts small Yang.
- At the extreme point, Yin reverts to Yang, or vice versa. (Everything ultimately turns into its opposite.)
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