Yin and yang

Yin stands for moisture, calm and coolness; yang for warmth and activity. Too little yang often feels like being cold; too little yin like dryness and hot palms.

Partners, not opposites

Many people think of yin and yang as "good" and "bad", or as two forces fighting each other. In TCM they are more like partners: without yin, yang has nothing to rest on; without yang, yin cannot move. Think of an oil lamp. The oil is yin and the flame is yang. With enough oil the flame burns steadily, and the flame is what makes the oil useful.

So health in TCM is not "more yang" or "more yin". It is a rough balance between the two that shifts gently with the seasons, your age and how you live.

In daily life

Day is for activity (yang), night for rest (yin). Feeling alert by day and sleeping well at night is a sign the two are working together. Regular late nights drain yin, which is why TCM cares so much about sleep.

The seasons work the same way. In summer yang is at its height, so we are more active and sweat easily; in winter yang is stored away, so we want earlier nights and warmer food. Hong Kong adds a twist: scorching streets and icy air-conditioning, sometimes within minutes. Switching between hot and cold all day is its own kind of imbalance. Carrying a light jacket for air-conditioned places is a very simple way to look after yin and yang.

How might too little yin or yang feel?

People with too little yang often describe cold hands and feet, disliking wind and cold, preferring hot drinks, tiring easily and finding mornings hard. People with too little yin more often describe a dry mouth and throat, warm palms and soles, light sleep and restlessness at night.

These are traditional descriptions, not conclusions. Feeling cold can simply mean too few layers, too little food or sitting under an air-con vent; a dry mouth can mean you are not drinking enough. If discomfort persists or affects daily life, talk to a healthcare professional.

Finding balance day to day

The first step is usually your routine. Aim to rest before 11pm so yin has time to recover, and get daylight and movement during the day to keep yang flowing.

For food, if you lean towards dryness, moistening foods such as lily bulb and snow fungus suit you, in a sweet soup or a savoury soup. If you lean towards the cold, choose warming foods in moderation, such as a winter lamb pot or a few slices of ginger in soup. For acupressure, Taixi (KI3) and Shenmen (HT7) are traditionally paired: one looks after the kidneys and the other calms the mind, TCM's picture of heart and kidney in balance. For more on each one, see the Related acupoints and Related ingredients sections below.

Lamb is warming, so go easy on muggy days or if you run hot. Lily bulb is cooling, so keep portions moderate if you have loose stools.

A common misunderstanding: cold means yang deficiency, dryness means yin deficiency?

One sign is not enough. A practitioner looks at many things together: appetite, sleep, digestion, the tongue and pulse, and your habits. Labelling yourself "yang deficient" or "yin deficient" from one or two feelings, then loading up on warming or cooling foods, can push you further out of balance.

Rather than rushing to a label, notice your patterns for a few weeks. When do you feel cold, and when do you feel dry or hot? Then take the constitution test, or ask a registered Chinese medicine practitioner.