Five Yuns and Six Qis
Through observation, ancient Chinese learned that every thing in the Universe including the Universe itself could be described by using five elements, which are called Mental, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. These five elements constitute the Universe and they are interacting to each other. The relationship between these five elements forms the Five Elements Theory. These five elements are also called five Yuns in the Constitution Theory of the Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM). Yun in Chinese means changing, moving, and continuing.
The Earth is part of the Universe. Besides influenced by the five Yuns, the Earth is also influenced by six climates, which are called Jue Yin (Wind), Shao Yin (Fire), Shao Yang (Heat), Tai Yin (Damp), Yang Ming (Dry), Tai Yang (Cold). These six climates are related to the temperature variation on the Earth due to the influence of the Universe. These six climates are called six Qis in the Constitution Theory.
Since people live on the Earth, all the influences to the Universe and the Earth are also affected to the people. From the philosophy of Five Yuns and Six Qis, the theory of Heaven Stems and Earth Branches has been developed to describe the health of people and to predict the future of people.
A Normal Constitution
From a point of western medicine, a constitution can be described as a person’s anatomy and physiology. The anatomy is referring to the body of a person. This body is described as Yin in Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM). TCM is following the principles of Dao. The physiology is referring to the functions, of which the body performs. The performance of the functions is based on the condition of the body. This performance is described as Yang in TCM. Without Yin, there will be no Yang available. Without Yang, there will be no Yin. Yin and Yang need to exist concurrently and supplement to each other mutually.
A normal constitution is when Yin and Yang can work together and can function in its optimal condition. This optimal condition needs to follow the rules of nature, which is Dao. Without following Dao, there is no optimal condition of Yin and Yang and a normal constitution cannot be existed.
How was Yin and Yang started originated? Before discuss this question, we need to understand a concept of non-existence and existence of material. The non-existence of material will be discussed later. After the development of non-existence to existence of material, a mess of cloud is formed. This cloud consists different kinds of elements and the cloud is called Tai Ji in Daoism. The elements in the Tai Ji are interactive collided and responded to each other, which produces new elements (Yin) and new performance (Yang).
Once Yin and Yang revolved, simple structure was formed. Through the continuing of revolving, a living organism was created. This living organism was equipped with ability to growth, to maintain, and to reproduce. A living world started.
A living organism was created and developed under Dao. To continue exist, a living organism needs constantly to follow Dao. Dao is not constantly unchanged. Dao is constantly changing in an unpredictable way but still is Dao. All living organisms need to follow Dao to live.
What is a normal constitution of a living organism? There is no absolutely normal or abnormal constitution. A Dao following constitution is a normal constitution.
The Formation of a Constitution
Since a normal constitution is one that is following Dao, the formation of constitution is also following Dao. This following Dao implies the formation of constitution is under the influence of Dao. Because of following Dao and also Dao is constantly changing, a constitution is formed and also is constantly changing.
There are two aspects to discuss the formation of constitution. The first one we called pre-heaven and the second one called post-heaven. The cutoff line of pre-heaven and post-heaven is the moment of inhaling of first breathes by the newborn. During the pre-heaven, there are several factors affected the formation of constitution. The most important one is the quality of parent’s essences. With good quality of parent’s essences, there is a higher chance a formation of constitution can happen. Since parent’s good qualities of essences are already following Dao, they are also passing this characteristic down to the newborn, which provides the foundation of newborn with the quality of following Dao constitution. The formation of constitution is also affected by parent’s blood relationship with each other – the farer the better, parent’s age – too young or too old are bad, the time of conceive – in between the menstrual cycle, environmental factors – weather, climate, temperature. After the initial formation is formed, mother’s nourishment, emotion, protection, and possible diseases also affect the development of newborn during pre-heaven.
After newborn is delivered and begins its inhales of first breathe, the formation of constitution moves into post-heaven. During post-heaven, the one significantly affects the formation of constitution is diet. With proper diet, a constitution can receive supplements to maintain good quality of health. Without proper diet, a good constitution can turn into illness or turn into death. Another important factor affects the formation of constitution is exercise. A good exercise is the one that consumes minimum of qi to generate maximum of qi. With plenty of qi, a constitution can continue to follow the movement of Dao and exist within Dao.
Other factors include mental/emotion state, work, sex activity, and diseases. Unstable emotion can affect qi moving within a constitution, due to stress exerting on major organs. Over working can consume more qi than a constitution can quickly replenish, which cause a deficiency of a constitution. Over sex activities consume more essences, which exhausts constitution. Various diseases continue to attack constitution, which also consumes constitution.
More factors can affect the formation of constitution are aging, gender, social/economic, and geographical/environment. There is a limit on the life span of a constitution. All of methods to maintain quality of constitution are actually to delay the aging process. The slower of aging means the longer of a life span. Gender’s difference also affects the formation of a constitution. Male is usually exhibiting more yang activities, which consumes more energy than female. Social/economic status reflects whether supplements are available or not. With enough supplements can avoid unnecessary stress exerting on a constitution. Stress is the number one killer to the health. The physical location and the environment also can comfort a constitution or harass it.
The formation of constitution is a continuing process with a limit of life span. This formation of constitution is constantly under the challenging of Dao. In order to survive under this challenge, the formation of constitution needs to constantly following Dao. Following Dao means understanding Dao and going alone with Dao. All of following Dao activities to maintain the formation of constitution is the one to ensure surviving under the Dao.
The Relationships in Five Elements Theory
According to Five Elements Theory, there are promotion relationships between the five elements, which are Water promotes Wood, Wood promotes Fire, Fire promotes Earth, Earth promotes Metal, and Metal promotes Water. Also, there are control relationships between the five elements, which are Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, and Earth controls Water. These promotion and control relationships in Five Elements Theory are also applied in TCM Constitutional Theory.
The Characteristics of Water Constitution
In TCM Constitutional Theory, a constitution of water has some characteristics. The color is black. In regard to the adaptation to the season changes, water constitution tolerates fall and winter, but dislikes spring and summer. People with a water constitution may carry dark skin and complexion, lots of winkles, relative big head, angular chin and jaws, high cheeks, small shoulders, big abdomen, long tailbone, and long back.
A Water Constitution case in Clinic
In Five Yuns and Six Qis, the condition of a constitution is also being affected by the day, the month, and year of the birth. It is because year is belonging to one of the five yuns and month and day is belonging to one of the six qis. The type of yun and qi affects the characteristics of a constitution and the interrelationship of a constitution in Five Element Theory.
In clinic, a female patient who was born on April 22, 1981 is suffering pain on her both knees due to injury years ago. She was stumble and hurt her knees. The patient also stated she was one week premature with a mild abnormal lung function. She has shallow sleep and easy to wake up at night but she can continue to fall back to sleep. She bites her teeth during sleep. Her menstruation is normal but her skin is dark. Her appetite is good. Her pulse is wiry and her tongue is yellow thin coating and red on tip.
According Huang Di Nei Jing, based on her birthday she is weak water in Five Yuns and is Shao Yin Jun Huo in Six Qis. Since she is weak water and water in Five Elements is promoting wood, we assume her wood is weak too. In TCM, wood is related with the sinews of the body and she is suffering knee problem, even though she had injured her knees before.
Water in Five Elements is controlling fire. Since she is weak water and she is belonging to Shao Yin Jun Huo in Six Qis, it seems her fire is stronger. Fire in Five Elements promotes earth, which relate to digestion system in the body. She has a good appetite, red on the tip of her tongue, and sleeping problem.
With a strong fire, which controls metal in Five Elements and a generic weak lung, which is metal and metal promotes water in Five Elements; her weak water constitution seems weaker and her skin color is even darker.
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