I have been working on a course teaching ancient Chinese healing which I call Yiyi（易医 yìyī) to differentiate the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) course. TCM courses teach the body as anatomy, health as physiological function, sicknesses as pathological disorders, and the application of herbs or needling points as accumulated experiences for treating diseases. In ancient... Continue Reading →
The system of yi
The healing practice known as yi since ancient times was constituted from the astronomical observations of movements of such bodies as the sun, the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, and Venus in relation to phenomena and activities of things on earth. From earth, we see planets move from east to west, south to north. The... Continue Reading →
Yinyang Wuxing Food
I have been asked how yinyang wuxing fits into the idea that eating the organs of an animal may benefit the corresponding organ of our own bodies, for example how would eating the liver of a sheep help our own liver. In the theory of yinyang wuxing, all existence is of yin and yang, and... Continue Reading →
六
The character 六 liù is the number 6,and is pronounced like lil as in lilting.The top two strokes of 六 liù represents a roof, under which is 八 bā 8,again indicating something not solid and yin in nature.
五
The character 五 wǔ is the number five,and is pronounced like woo as in woollen.The old written form of 五 as shown in the picture on the rightis a cross in between two lines. The top line is heaven,the bottom line is earth, and the cross is the transformationof heaven and earth, which is wuxing.
四
The Chinese character 四 sì is the number four.It is pronounced like the first syllable of sibilant.The character is made up of a square with an 8 in the middle,indicating the separating yin nature of 四 sì.
八
The character 八 bā is the number eight, and is pronounced like baaas in baa baa black sheep.Beginning this lesson with the number 八 bā helps explainthe Chinese numerals 4 and 6.八 is an ideograph of two people back to back leavingor separating, which indicates the yin nature of things that are dividing or separating.
三
The character 三 sān is the number three, and it pronounced like sarn, the way darn is pronounced but beginning with the letter S. Sān 三 is between 一 and 二, that is, between heaven and earth, so it is a representation of the Dao of heaven and earth, and resides between the two, as... Continue Reading →
二
The character 二 èr is the number two and pronounced as though one were saying the letter R. It is the numerological representation of the earth, and yin.
一
The Chinese character 一 yī is equivalent to the numeral 1, and is pronounced like the first syllable of easy. Yī is the beginning of the Dao, it is the numerological representation for heaven and for yang.
Rhonda Chang 