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A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:

The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
Stefan Jaeger
National Library of Medicine
*
United States
1. Introduction
This chapter shows howto compute Yin and Yang for different latitudes so traditional Chinese
herbalists can quantify the efcacy of herbal drugs. Based on daylight hours, the chapter
provides a simple formula that allows computation of Yin and Yang for each day of the year.
Moreover, using daily Yin and Yang values, the chapter shows how to render the Yin-Yang
symbol properly in accordance with its original meaning. Considering the importance of
Yin and Yang in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the rendering method presented in this
chapter provides evidence that TCM, in its origin, is a geomedical science.
Herbal medicines collected from different geographic locations can signicantly differ in their
therapeutic efcacy. The concentration of bioactive substances varies depending on many
local factors, such as sunshine hours or chemical and physical properties of the soil. To
guarantee the optimal composition of herbal drugs, Chinese herbalists use geo-authentic
herbs from recognized locations. However, it is often difcult to conrm geographical
authenticity. The lack of formal models for Yin and Yang, and herbal efcacy in general,
complicates objective comparisons and evaluations. Herbalists and practitioners of TCM
need a better formal understanding of the Yin-Yang composition of each herb. This chapter
contributes to the solution to this problem by providing a formal description of Yin and Yang.
It shows in a mathematical way howYin and Yang vary depending on latitude. The latitude of
a herbs location determines the number of daylight hours and sunshine the herb is exposed
to during the year. The number of daylight hours is one of the components affecting the
concentration and composition of bioactive substances and therefore the efcacy of the herb.
To standardize herbal preparation and administration, rigorous mathematical methods are
essential to measure the Yin-Yang composition of herbs quantitatively. The work presented in
this chapter is a rst step toward such standardization.
The chapter structure is as follows: Section 2 discusses the main ideas of the philosophical
Yin-Yang concept. Section 3 shows todays most common Yin-Yang symbol and discusses its
typical shape. Then, Section 4 presents the origin of the Yin-Yang symbol and introduces a
daylight model that allows computation of Yin and Yang depending on the daylight hours for
each geographic latitude. Using the computed values for Yin and Yang, the section will show
how to render the Yin-Yang symbol properly, and in accordance with its original meaning.
The chapter concludes with a discussion of the consequences of the results for researchers
in TCM and herbal medicine. Finally, the appendix contains examples of Yin-Yang symbols
computed for different latitudes in the northern and southern hemispheres.
*
Work on this study began while the author was afliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
2
2 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
2. Yin and Yang
Yin-Yang has become a universal philosophical concept that many people readily embrace to
their advantage. The concept of Yin and Yang is deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy (Miller,
2003; Watts, 1999). Its origin dates back at least 2500 years, probably much earlier, playing
a crucial role in the formation of the Chinese ancient civilization. Chinese thinkers have
attached great importance to Yin and Yang ever since. In Asias search for a universal formula
describing balance and harmony, Yin-Yang today appeals to elds as different as medicine,
arts, religion, sports, or politics.
According to the Chinese philosophical concept, there are two opposing forces in the world,
namely Yin and Yang, which are constantly trying to gain the upper hand over each other.
However, neither one will ever succeed in doing so, though one force may temporarily
dominate the other one. Both forces cannot exist without each other; it is rather the constant
struggle between both forces that denes our world and produces the rhythm of life. Yin and
Yang are not only believed to be the foundation of our universe, but also to ow through
and affect every being. For example, typical Yin-Yang opposites are night/day, cold/hot,
rest/activity.
Chinese philosophy does not conne itself to a mere description of Yin and Yang; it also
provides guidelines on how to live in accordance with Yin and Yang. The central statement
is that Yin and Yang need to be in harmony. Any imbalance of an economical, biological,
physical, or chemical system can be directly attributed to a distorted equilibrium between Yin
and Yang. For example, an illness accompanied by fever is the result of Yang being too strong
and dominating Yin. On the other hand, for example, dominance of Yin could result in a body
shivering with cold. The optimal state every being, or system, should strive for is therefore
the state of equilibrium between Yin and Yang. It is this state of equilibrium between Yin
and Yang that Chinese philosophy considers the most powerful and stable state a system can
assume.
Yin and Yang already carry the seed of their opposites: A dominating Yin becomes susceptible
to Yang and will eventually turn into its opposite. On the other hand, a dominating Yang gives
rise to Yin and will turn into Yin over time. This denes the perennial alternating cycle of Yin
or Yang dominance. Only the equilibrium between Yin and Yang is able to overcome this
cycle.
3. Yin-Yang symbol
Figure 1 shows the well-known black-and-white symbol of Yin and Yang. This Yin-Yang
Fig. 1. A common Yin-Yang symbol.
symbol, also known under the name Tai Chi symbol, is arguably one of the most amboyant
symbols today. It stands on the same level as the Christian cross and other mainstream
30 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 3
religious symbols. We can see the intertwining spiral-like curves in Figure 1, which are
actually semicircles, separating the Yin and Yang area. The small spots of different color in
each area indicate the above mentioned conception that both Yin and Yang carry the seed of
their opposites; Yin cannot exist without Yang, and Yang cannot exist without Yin. These spots
will play no role in this chapter. Neither will the assignment of black and white to Yin and
Yang have any signicance here, though Yin is typically associated with black and Yang with
white.
Spiral-like curves are a common occurrence in nature. They appear in various forms in a
wide range of living beings and processes; e.g., mollusk shells, hurricanes, or galaxies (Cook,
1979; Squin, 1999). Depending on the form of these curves, the Yin-Yang symbol can take
on different shapes. It is therefore necessary to dene a standard rendering method before
plotting the Yin-Yang symbol. For example, Figure 2 shows two versions of the South Korean
Flag.
(a) Modern ag (b) Older version
Fig. 2. Flag of South Korea (Wikipedia).
The South Korean ags modern version is on the left-hand side of Figure 2. On the right-hand
side is an older version of the ag. Both versions feature the Yin-Yang symbol prominently
in their center, which is again testimony of the importance of the Yin-Yang concept for Asian
countries. However, the shapes of the Yin-Yang spirals are clearly different for both ags. To
agree on a common ag, it is necessary to dene a standard construction scheme for rendering
the Yin-Yang symbol. Figure 3 shows the standard construction sheet for the modern South
Korean ag. However, the next section shows that the rendering method in Figure 3 does not
reect the original meaning of the Yin-Yang symbol.
Fig. 3. Construction sheet for the South Korean ag (Wikipedia).
Contemporary literature has been mostly neglecting the plotting of the Yin-Yang symbol,
paying more attention to philosophical questions. However, a mathematical formalization
31 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
4 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
of the Yin-Yang symbol is desirable to open hitherto mathematically inaccessible elds, such
as Chinese traditional medicine, for rigorous scientic research.
4. The origin of the Yin-Yang symbol
Despite its presence in everyday life, it is fair to say that only a few people know about the
origin of the Yin-Yang symbol. Very often, even the most devoted practitioners have to pass
on the question about its origin. Contrary to what one would expect, literature dealing with
the origin of the Yin-Yang symbol is rare. Contemporary books and articles typically deal
in detail with the philosophical facets of Yin and Yang, but do not address the origin of the
Yin-Yang symbol. It turns out that the original Yin-Yang symbol is more complex than its
modern representation as two semicircles suggests (Browne, 2007; Graf, 1994).
The Yin-Yang symbol has its origin in the I-Ching; one of the oldest and most fundamental
books in Chinese philosophy. The I-Ching, which is typically translated as The Book of
Changes, deals with natural phenomena and their seasonal cycles. From the constant
changes and transformations in nature, the I-Ching tries to derive the unchanging rules
governing our cosmos and our very existence. The observation of celestial phenomena is
therefore of central importance to the I-Ching (Hardaker, 2001). It is here, where one nds the
roots of the Yin-Yang symbol (Tian & Tian, 2004).
For example, by observing the shadowof the sun and recording the positions of the Big Dipper
at night throughout the year, the ancient Chinese determined the four points of the compass:
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The direction of the shortest shadow measured
on a given day reveals south (www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/yinyang.htm). At night, the
Pole Star indicates North.
4.1 Shadow model
The Yin-Yang symbol is tightly connected with the annual cycle of the earth around the sun,
and the four seasons resulting from it. To investigate this cycle, the ancient Chinese used a
pole that they put up orthogonally to the ground, as shown in Figure 4. With this setup, the
Fig. 4. Shadow model.
ancient Chinese were able to record precisely the positions of the suns shadow and divide
the year into different sections. They found the length of a year to be about 365.25 days.
32 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 5
Furthermore, they divided the circle of the year into segments, including the vernal equinox,
autumnal equinox, summer solstice, and winter solstice. In addition, they used concentric
circles around the pole, helping them to record the length of the suns shadow every day.
As a result, they measured the shortest shadow during the summer solstice, and measured
the longest shadow during the winter solstice. After connecting the measured points and
dimming the part that reaches from summer solstice to winter solstice (Yin), they arrived at a
chart like the one in Figure 5. The resemblance between this chart and the modern Yin-Yang
Fig. 5. Yin-Yang symbol for Latitude L = 68

(near polar circle) with equinoxes and solstices.

symbol in Figure 1 is striking. Figure 5 provides visual evidence that the original Yin-Yang
symbol describes the change of a poles shadow length during a year. In fact, by rotating
the chart and positioning the winter solstice at the bottom, the Yin-Yang chart of the ancient
Chinese becomes very similar to the modern Yin-Yang symbol depicted in Figure 1.
The white area of the Yin-Yang symbol is typically called Yang. It begins at the winter solstice
and indicates a beginning dominance of daylight over darkness, which is the reason why
the ancient Chinese associated it with the sun (or male). Accordingly, the dark area of the
Yin-Yang symbol represents Yin, which begins with the summer solstice. Yin indicates a
beginning dominance of darkness over daylight. The ancient Chinese therefore associated
it with the moon (or female).
Note that the shape of the Yin-Yang symbol also depends on the ecliptic angle of the earth. The
ecliptic affects the angle between the white Yang area, or black Yin area, and the outer circle
of the Yin-Yang symbol. The ecliptic is the suns apparent path around the earth. It is tilted
relative to the earths equator. As a result, one can observe four different seasons throughout
the year. In the year 2000, the obliquity of the ecliptic was about 23

26

19

. The ecliptics
obliquity is not stable and can change during the millennia. This is due to the different forces
exerted by the bodies in the solar system on the earth. The obliquity varies between about
21

55

and 24

18

within a period of 40, 000 years (Wikipedia, March 2008). For example, in
the year 3, 000 BC, the ecliptic was about 24

1.6

. Therefore, the ancient Yin-Yang symbol looks

slightly different than the modern Yin-Yang symbol when rendered based on the shadow
model.
4.2 Daylight model
This section presents a rendering method for the Yin-Yang symbol based on daylight hours,
which are connected with shadow lengths. A long day has the sun standing high on the
33 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
6 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
horizon at noon, casting a short shadow. On the other hand, a short day is the result of
the sun standing low on the horizon at noon, which in turn produces a long shadow. For
computing the daylight time for a given day in the year, this section uses the formula given
in (Forsythe et al., 1995). The formula takes many different factors into account, most notably
the refraction of the earths atmosphere. The daylight model presented here is therefore an
accurate description of the actual daylight measurement of an observer on the ground. A
detailed investigation of the formula is beyond the scope of this paper, though.
The formula requires two input parameters, namely the day of the year J and the latitude L
of the observers location. It consists of two parts. The rst part computes an intermediate
result P, which is the input to the second part. The equation for the rst part is as follows:
P = arcsin[0.39795 cos(0.2163108 +2 arctan{0.9671396 tan[0.00860(J 186)]})] (1)
Given P, the second part then computes the actual day length D in terms of sunshine hours:
D = 24

24

arccos

sin

0.8333
180

+sin

L
180

sin(P)
cos

L
180

cos(P)

(2)
Using Equation 2, Figure 6 shows the daylight time for each day of the year and a latitude of
68

. This latitude is close to the polar circle, or Arctic Circle, in the northern hemisphere. The
Fig. 6. Daylight hours for Latitude L = 68

(near polar circle).

equivalent latitude in the southern hemisphere is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks
the southernmost latitude in the northern hemisphere where the sun shines for 24 hours at
least once per year (midnight sun) and does not shine at all at least once per year. Theoretically,
the Arctic Circle marks the area where these events occur exactly once per year, namely during
the summer and winter solstices. However, due to atmospheric refractions and because the
sun is a disk rather than a point, the actual observation at the Arctic Circle is different. For
example, the midnight sun can be seen south of the Arctic Circle during the summer solstice.
According to Figure 6, the midnight sun shines for about 50 days at latitudes around 68

.
Figure 7 shows the daylight hours in Figure 6 as a polar plot. In this polar plot, the distance
to the origin stands for the daily sunshine hours. One full turn of 360

corresponds to one
year. There is another important difference to Figure 6, though. For the second half of the
34 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 7
Fig. 7. Polar daylight plot for Latitude L = 68

(near polar circle).

year, Figure 7 shows the hours of darkness instead of the daylight hours. The number of
hours with darkness is simply the number of daylight hours subtracted from 24. Drawing
the daylight hours in such a way produces the two spirals depicted in Figure 7. Coloring the
areas delimited by both spirals and the outer circle in black and white then produces a rotated
version of the Yin-Yang symbol in Figure 5. Note that this symbol is not quite symmetrical.
This is correct because spring and fall are not completely symmetrical in terms of the solar
cycle; a fact not discussed further in this chapter. For latitudes around the polar circle, the
spirals in Figure 7 originate either directly in the origin of the polar plot or in a point close to
it. This is because there will be at least one day with no sunshine.
Figure 8 shows the daylight hours and polar plots generated in the same way for different
latitudes L, according to Equations 1 and 2. In particular, Figure 8 shows plots for L = 40

(near Beijing), L = 0

(Equator), and L = 88

(near North Pole). For Latitude L = 40

, which
is about the latitude of Beijing, the daylight curve is atter compared to the daylight curve
for L = 68

in Figure 6. The reason for the atter shape is that each day of the year has
sunshine as well as darkness at L = 40

. For this latitude, the shapes of the spirals in the polar

plot are approaching semicircles. Their starting points are relatively far from the center of the
polar plot. This degeneration into semicircles continues with decreasing latitude. It reaches its
extreme at the equator, with L = 0

. Here, each day has the same number of sunshine hours,

namely exactly 12 hours. Consequently, the Yin and Yang spirals complement each other to
form a perfect cycle for observers on the equator.
The last example in Figure 8 shows the daylight hours and polar plot when the observers
location is close to one of the earths poles. For L = 88

, which is close to the North Pole, the

year is split into two halves. For one half, the sun shines continuously for 24 hours on each
day. For days in the other half, the sun does not shine at all. The transition from one half to
the other happens very quickly. Due to this rapid transition between day and night, each of
the Yin and Yang spirals in Figure 8 covers a sector in the polar plot. Both spirals together
describe an almost vertical axis.
5. Conclusion
The chapter shows that the origin of the Yin-Yang symbol lies in the graphical representation
of the daily change of a poles shadow length. This length varies for each day, when measured
35 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
8 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
(a) Daylight hours and polar plot for Latitude L = 40

(near Beijing).
(b) Daylight hours and polar plot for Latitude L = 0

(Equator).
(c) Daylight hours and polar plot for Latitude L = 88

(near North Pole).

Fig. 8. Daylight hours and polar plots for different latitudes.
36 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 9
at the same time, and depends on the geographic latitude of the observer. Given the signicant
role the Yin-Yang symbol plays in TCM, ancient herbalists and practitioners of TCMmust have
attached great importance to geographic location from the outset. It is reasonable to assume
that they considered geographical aspects for both drug preparation as well as administration.
To ensure an authentic TCM treatment, modern practitioners of TCM need to take geographic
location into account not only when preparing drugs but also during the treatment of their
patients. They must be aware of the geomedical origin of TCM. Latitude is one important
factor in nding geo-authentic herbs. A mathematical formalization of this factor is a rst step
toward a well-dened and standardized TCM; a TCM that has the same scientic foundation
as western medicine. This chapter equips herbalists with a means to compute Yin and Yang
for different locations. They can now begin formalizing their daily work routine, such as herb
evaluation, with the results presented here. The mathematical formalization of other factors
determining the geo-authenticity of herbs, such as the physical and chemical soil properties,
is a goal of future research. With a formalization of all these factors, herbalists can compute
the overall Yin-Yang composition of herbs and herb combinations.
To render the Yin-Yang symbol, the chapter presents a daylight model to compute daylight
hours for each day and latitude. However, the rendered Yin-Yang symbols differ from the
common Yin-Yang symbol shown in Figure 1. The common symbol is an oversimplication. It
represents Yin and Yang as two semicircles, which is a rough approximation at best. Therefore,
the most popular Yin-Yang symbol is not in accordance with the original meaning of the
Yin-Yang symbol. In fact, none of the symmetrical symbols existing today can coincide with
any of the asymmetric symbols generated by the rendering method presented in Section 4. In
particular, all symbols presented in the appendix of this chapter are asymmetric. This raises
the question whether the common Yin-Yang symbol should be replaced by a symbol closer to
the original meaning. In principle, any of the Yin-Yang symbols presented here could replace
the common symbol and serve as a new standard. A particular good candidate would be
the Yin-Yang symbol of the Arctic Circle, shown in Figure 5, because it looks very similar to
the common symbol. Whatever the choice, there is yet another problem. Due to the cyclic
change of the earths ecliptic, any chosen Yin-Yang symbol is only a snapshot in time. It will
eventually become less accurate. To avoid this problem, one could simply continue using the
old Yin-Yang symbol or design a new symbol that does not feature these defects. Anyway, the
choice of the standard Yin-Yang symbol depends on many factors, including personal taste.
The ultimate answer to this question is therefore beyond the scope of this chapter.
6. Appendix
On the following six pages, the appendix shows examples of Yin-Yang symbols computed for
different latitudes in the northern and southern hemispheres. All examples are polar plots
of the output of Equations 1 and 2 for different input latitudes. All polar plots are rotated
counter-clockwise by 45

so the x-axis is vertical. A closer inspection shows that none of the

symbols is symmetrical. The symbols of the southern hemisphere are mirrored versions of the
corresponding symbols in the northern hemisphere, apart from some numerical inaccuracies
close to the polar circles and poles. Several popular variants of the Yin-Yang symbol are visible
north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. Both spots in each Yin-Yang symbol
lie on the vertical axis, plotted halfway between the polar plots origin and the outer circle.
Note that for latitudes L with |L| 68

, the Yin-Yang symbol will look similar to the symbols

observed at the polar circles when plotted as a polar plot in the following way: Instead
of the daylight hours, the polar plot shows the daylight hours minus the minimum day
length. Furthermore, instead of the number of hours with darkness, the polar plot shows
the difference between the maximum day length and the number of daylight hours.
37 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
10 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
6.1 Yin-Yang symbols for the northern hemisphere
Fig. 9. Yin-Yang symbols for L = 5

, 10

, 15

, 20

, 25

, 30

.
38 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 11
Fig. 10. Yin-Yang symbols for L = 35

, 40

, 45

, 50

, 55

, 60

.
39 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
12 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
Fig. 11. Yin-Yang symbols for L = 65

, 70

, 75

, 80

, 85

, 90

.
40 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 13
6.2 Yin-Yang symbols for the southern hemisphere
Fig. 12. Yin-Yang symbols for L = 5

, 10

, 15

, 20

, 25

, 30

.
41 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
14 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
Fig. 13. Yin-Yang symbols for L = 35

, 40

, 45

, 50

, 55

, 60

.
42 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine
A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine:
The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol 15
Fig. 14. Yin-Yang symbols for L = 65

, 70

, 75

, 80

, 85

, 90

.
43 A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol
16 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH
7. References
Browne, C. (2007). Taiji variations: Yin and Yang in multiple dimensions, Computers &Graphics
31(1): 142146.
Cook, T. (1979). The Curves of Life, Dover Publications.
Forsythe, W., Rykiel, E., Stahl, R., Wu, H.-I. & Schooleld, R. (1995). A model comparison for
daylength as a function of latitude and day of year, Ecological Modelling 80(1): 8795.
Graf, K.-D. (1994). Mathematics and Informatics in old symbols: Tai Chi symbol and
hexagrams from the I Ging, K. Yokochi and H. Okamori (Eds): Proceedings of the Fifth
Five Nations Conference on Mathematics Education, Osaka, Japan, pp. 1521.
Hardaker, C. (2001). The hexagon, the solstice and the kiva, Symmetry: Culture and Science
12(1-2): 167183.
Miller, J. (2003). Daoism: A Short Introduction, Oneworld Publications.
Squin, C. H. (1999). Analogies from 2D to 3D, exercises in disciplined creativity, BRIDGES -
Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science, Wineld KS.
Tian, H. & Tian, F. (2004). The true origin of Zhou Yi (in Chinese), Shanxi Science and Technology
Publishing House.
Watts, A. (1999). The Way of Zen, Vintage.
44 Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine