Yin and Yang

theory foundations

Yin and yang are a fundamental pair of complementary opposites through which TCM describes all processes. Yin represents stillness, cold, the internal, and the material; yang represents movement, heat, the external, and the functional. They are relative and interdependent: they transform into one another and balance each other out. Health is understood as a dynamic balance of yin and yang, while illness is understood as an excess, deficiency, or disruption of their mutual transformation.