The Colors Of Yin and Yang

Color is one of the main tools for determining the proportions of yin to yang in something. The more red there is means the more yang it is; the more purple means the more yin.

The color spectrum ranges from red on one end to purple or violet on the other end — yang on one end and yin on the other end, respectively.

• Red is yang.
• Orange is less yang.
• Yellow is even less yang.
• Brown is a mixture of colors, yin and yang combined
• Green is even less yin.
• Blue is less yin.
• Purple is yin.

The more warm, dark, or bold (saturated) the color is, the more yang it is. The more cold, light, or pale (unsaturated) the color is, the more yin it is.

• Black is yang.
• White is yin.

Everything is relative. To figure out how a particular food, for example, is classified as either "Yin" or "Yang," I'll start by looking at the broad picture and what the color is overall.

• Animals are red-blooded, therefore animal foods are yang (compared to plant foods).
• Plants are green-blooded, therefore plant foods are yin (compared to animal foods).

Within each of these two categories are layers of subcategories that range from yang to yin to yang again. For example, a tomato is a plant food, therefore it is yin. A green tomato is more yin than a fully ripe red one, which is yang. The red tomato is yang compared to the purple eggplant, which are both fruits on a similarly sized plant.

Related Blog Articles:
The Color Classifications of Food
Guidelines for Classifying in Terms of Yin and Yang