The Zang-fu (藏象學說)

Zang-fu in context of yin/yang and the Five Elements

Each zàng-fǔ organ has a yin and a yang aspect, but overall, the zàng organs are considered to be yin, and the fǔ organs yang.

Since the concept of the zàng-fǔ was developed on the basis of Wǔ Xíng philosophy, they're incorporated into a system of allocation to one of five elemental qualities (i.e., the Five Elements or Five Phases). The zàng-fǔ share their respective element's allocations (e.g., regarding colour, taste, season, emotion etc.) and interact with each other cyclically in the same way the Five Elements do: each zàng organ has one corresponding zàng organ that it enfeebles, and one that it reinforces.

The correspondence between zàng-fǔ and Five Elements are stipulated as:

• Fire (火) = Heart (心) and Small Intestine (小肠) (and, secondarily, Sānjiaō [三焦, ‘’Triple Burner‘’] and Pericardium [心包])
• Earth (土) = Spleen (脾) and Stomach (胃)
• Metal (金) = Lung (肺)and Large Intestine (大肠)
• Water (水) = Kidney (肾) and Bladder (膀胱)
• Wood (木) = Liver (肝) and Gall Bladder (胆)

五臟分別與五行對應，即心火、肝木、脾土、肺金、腎水 :

• 五臟的相生關係：肝生心、心生脾、脾生肺、肺生腎、腎生肝。

• 五臟的相剋關係：肝剋脾、脾剋腎、腎剋心、心剋肺、肺剋肝。

根據陰陽學說，每個臟器又可根據其生理活動，分為陰陽兩類狀態

六腑對應經絡中的陽經，如足陽明胃經、手少陽三焦經等。