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Yin and Yang are the pivot of heaven and earth; the Five Phases (Wu Xing) are the beginning and end of Yin and Yang. Without Yin and Yang, heaven and earth cannot be formed; without the Five Phases, Yin and Yang cannot manifest.

Therefore, humans are constituted by heaven and earth, yet they deteriorate due to imbalances in Yin and Yang, arising from the compliance or deviation of the Five Phases. Heaven and earth possess Yin and Yang and the Five Phases; humans possess blood vessels and the Zang organs. The Five Phases circulate endlessly; Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal again. They nourish each other above and below without rest. Thus, the *Jinkui Yaolue · Zhizhen Yao Da Lun* states: "The Heart governs Blood, which is the mother of flesh; the Spleen governs flesh, which is the residence of Blood; the Lung governs Qi, which is the foundation of bones; the Kidney corresponds to bones, which are the root of sinews; the Liver governs sinews, which are the origin of Blood. The five Zang organs correspond to the Five Phases, mutually generating and producing each other, flowing day and night without beginning or end. Following them brings auspiciousness; opposing them brings disaster. The principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Phases in heaven and earth align with humans. If humans can master these, they can transcend the numbers of Yin and Yang, seize the mechanism of heaven and earth, appreciate the essence of the Five Phases, and achieve a state without beginning or end, becoming immortal like immortals."

Sudden storms and intense heat, flying clouds and debris, morning darkness and evening clarity, nighttime heat and daytime cold, cold when it should not be cold, rain when it should not rain, dried-up water sources and crumbling soil, severe drought in the year, withered and decaying vegetation, and dried-up rivers and streams—this is the "Yang Jue" (Yang Collapse/Obstruction) of heaven and earth. Sudden blockage, sudden panting and shortness of breath, limbs unable to hold themselves, dysfunction of the Fu organs, deafness and blindness, dry throat and scorched mouth, sores on lips and tongue, clear nasal discharge, red cheeks and vexation, dizziness and heavy head, eyes like fire, body feeling like burning, performing actions previously impossible, desiring things previously unwanted, climbing high places singing and laughing, discarding clothes and running wildly, speaking madly and falsely, failing to distinguish between relatives and strangers, extreme restlessness without measure, drinking water incessantly, distension in the chest and diaphragm, fullness and oppression in the abdomen and hypochondrium, back carbuncles with rotting flesh, vexation and confusion with internal ulceration, food unable to enter the stomach, water unable to pass through the intestines, sudden swelling and bloating, shouting and fainting, loss of consciousness, pain with unknown location—this is the "Yang Jue" of humans. In Yang Jue, if the pulse is strong upon both superficial pressing and deep pressing, life is possible; if the pulse is absent, death ensues.