Yin-yang and wu xing (five elements) are familiar to all people. However there are just a few people truly understand these complicated theories.
Originally yin-yang and wu xing (five elements) are two at theories. Academically, the theory of yin-yang host significant concept that reflected the TCM is thinking of people in ancient China. In his great book of Chinese Science and Technology, Joseph i1900-1995) said that the theory of yin-yang was theory established by Chinese people in ancient Medicine, the theory of yin-yang was adopted wu xing (five elements). In the literature fore the Qin Dynasty, there was no record of elements). But the theory of yin-yang was used he cause of diseases and the activity of human body theoretically, the permeation of the theory of yin-it possible for TCM to develop from ancient modern times. That is also the reason why it replaced by Western medicine.
Philosophers in ancient China believed that the universe was made yin and yang, and the constant movement of was responsible for the existence of the world. Yin originally was used to explain the state of being or facing the sunshine. The place that was the sunshine was yin (shadow) while the place sunshine was yang (sun). Later on people used these concepts to analyze various things. Those that were internal, descending, cold and gray were regarded yin while those that were dynamic, external, rising, warm and bright were regarded as being yang.
The classification of yin and yang had nothing to do with their nature as being good or bad. The alternation of yin and yang was taken as the law of everything. The balance between yin and yang was thought as the ideal state. In ancient China, the theory of yin-yang was not only used to explain the universe, but also explain social phenomena. For instance, man was regarded as yang while woman as yin; happiness was taken as yang while disasters as yin.
The application of the theory of yin-yang in TCM can be explained by a number line. If we use "0" to signify health, the numerous numbers listed at both sides represent various diseases and their manifestations. Take "5" that stands for common cold as an example. TCM understands every disease by analyzing the related positive or negative number. In Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Diseases), diseases were analyzed according to three yin and three yang. For instance, if Excess Syndrome pertains to tai yang (extreme yang), then Deficiency Syndrome pertains to shao yin (mild yin). If Excess Syndrome pertains to yang ming, then Deficiency Syndrome pertains to tai yin (extreme yin).
For this reason the therapeutic methods in TCM can never be the same. However, the purposes of these different therapeutic methods are the same, which is to adjust the state of yin and yang to the ideal harmonious level. For example, when dealing with insomnia, the method for clearing away heat and reducing fire may be used to treat Excess Syndrome (+) while the method for supplementing qi and blood may be used to treat Deficiency Syndrome (-). However Western medicine just uses hypnotic to deal with insomnia under any condition. For Western medicine, one drug just corresponds to one disease. However such a practice sometimes is not quite reasonable. For example to use hypnotic to deal with the patient who is excited is reasonable, but to use it to deal with those who are troubled by neurasthenia is ineffective.
Originally the theory of yin-yang was simply used to analyze the climatic changes in the four seasons. The origin of the heaven, the earth and everything in the universe was thought of as qi which was composed of two parts, yin and yang. Yin-yang was further divided into shao yang (mild yang), tai yang (extreme yang), shao yin (mild yin) and tai yin (extreme yin) which actually signified the properties of the four seasons. Before the Qin Dynasty, specialists of yin-yang used this theory to analyze human society and advised the kings to govern their kingdoms by following the natural changes of the seasons. Such an idea was later on adopted by doctors. That is why in Su Wen (Plain Conversation) we can find such concepts as sprouting in spring, flourishing in summer, astringing in autumn and storing in winter in health cultivation.
In Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine), the theory of yin-yang was already used to describe the concepts of opposition and balance.The concept of yin-yang explains both the formation of the universe and the nature of yin and yang. The former is demonstrated as explanation of life,constitution and physical-emotional characteristics, while the latter guides the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In Huang Di NeiJing (Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine, there is a classical description about the core of yin andyang:
Yin and yang represent the law of the universe, the principle of everything,the cause of changes, the origin of growth and decline, and the source of lifeactivities. So diseases must be treated according to yin and yang.
One more point should be noted in decoding the relationship between medicine and the theory of yin-yang. Zhang Jingyue in the Ming Dynasty said that it was important to know Yi Jing (Canon of Changes) if one wanted to be a doctor. His claim made many people believe that medicine originated from Yi Jing. In fact this is not true. In the medical books compiled before the Ming Dynasty, we cannot find any clues about such a close relationship
Comparatively speaking, the theory of wu xing (five elements) is not so important as that of yin-yang. In fact the theory of wu xing (five elements) is just used to classify different things into five specific categories. Under the guidance of analogy, the relationship among similar things is revealed. Take the liver for example. It pertains to wood and related to blue in colors and sourness in tastes. So bluish complexion indicates that the disease is located in the liver,and can be treated by herbs sour in taste. Based on analogy, the promoting and restricting relationships among the five different kinds of things are demonstrated as shown in the following table. In medicine, doctors make use of such relationships to understand the connections between the zang- organs and the fu-organs. Such a way of thinking is helpful for diagnosing and treating diseases, but it should not be absolute. Such an absolute analysis can be found in Nan Jing (Canon on Eighty-One Difficult Issues) when it tries to establish the relationships among the five Shu Acupoints. TCM has adopted the theories of yin-yang and wu xing(five elements) to establish its own theoretical system.However such an adoption has also greatly developed these two theories. Zhong Yi Xue Gai Lun (Essentials of TCM) says, "In TCM, the understanding of nature and human physiology and pathology, the diagnosis, treatment and use of drugs all can be explained according to the theories of yin-yang and wu xing (five elements)."
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