a translation with commentary by
elisabeth rochat de la vallée

Chinese medical knowledge is based on an understanding of the processes of yin yang and the five elements. Chapter five of the Neijing Suwen, the first part of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, lays out these principles. The chapter begins with the laws of yin yang, progresses to the resonances of the five elements within the human body, and culminates with detailed descriptions of medical pathology.