QiLifeWhich side of the balance are you on?
Twelve questions, one axis pair at a time. The fastest of the six assessments — it tells you whether to warm up, cool down, or neither.
12 questions · about 2–3 minutes · 2 dimensions · no account needed · updated
This is the shortest of the six assessments and the one to take first if you are not sure where to start. Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine describe pairs of qualities — cold and heat, rest and activity, substance and function, contraction and expansion — and almost every presentation can be located somewhere on those axes.
Twelve questions, and instead of a single label you get a position on each axis. The useful output is not 'you are Yin deficient' but the shape of your imbalance: which way you lean on each axis, and whether that leans consistently or conflicts.
Axes rather than labels
Most of the six assessments return types or patterns. This one returns coordinates. Cold versus heat, dry versus damp, depleted versus excess — three axes, each scored independently, so you can end up cold and damp rather than simply cold, which changes what you should do.
This matters because the correction follows the shape. Someone cold and depleted needs warming and supporting; someone cold and excess needs warming but not more food and rest. Both are 'cold' and they need opposite amounts of the supporting half.
Where the inconsistencies are informative
When the axes disagree with each other, that is usually where the real signal is. Someone warm and dry but exhausted, or cold and damp but wired at night, has a pattern that a single type label would flatten. The result calls these conflicts out rather than averaging them away.
A conflict usually points to a specific mechanism. Warm and exhausted is often Yin deficiency presenting as heat. Cold and wired is often Yang deficiency alongside Qi stagnation. Each has a different first step.
Where to go next
Use this as a routing step rather than a destination. The result links to the constitution assessment and to the symptom decoder, since knowing your axis position tells you which of those is worth taking and what to look for in the result.
If you already know your constitution type, this adds less. If you have never taken any of them, start here and follow the links.
Questions people ask
Why is this one so much shorter?
Because it is measuring position on axes rather than pattern identity. Twelve questions is enough to place you accurately on three axes; identifying a full pattern needs the twenty to twenty-eight questions the other assessments use.
What if my axes contradict each other?
That is the most useful thing the test can tell you. The result names the conflict and gives the likely mechanism behind it, because contradictory readings are where a single-label assessment would have given you a misleading answer.
Should I take this or the constitution test?
This one if you have no idea where to start, or if you are trying to work out whether you run hot or cold. The constitution test if you already know your general direction and want the detailed type breakdown.
Is Yin and Yang here the same as in a philosophical text?
The framework comes from the same classical sources, but the assessment uses the clinical meaning rather than the philosophical one. In practice Yin and Yang operate as functional descriptors that can be located through observation, which is what the questions test.
Patterns this assessment connects to
Each pattern page below explains what the pattern is, the signs that suggest it, and which acupoints, foods and teas the library lists against it.
Yin
Yin covers everything cooling, moistening, contracting and substantial — the half of the pair that sustains and contains.
Yang
Yang names everything warming, activating, expanding and outward-moving — the half of the pair that drives change and defends.
Yin Deficiency
Yin deficiency is insufficient cooling, moistening fluid — you run warm and dry, and rest does not fully restore you.
Yang Deficiency
Yang deficiency is insufficient warming function — you feel cold, digest slowly, and move with less spark than the seasons call for.
Qi Stagnation
Qi stagnation is Qi that cannot move — emotion, breath and digestion pile up, and the pressure shows up in the chest, throat or mood.
Related assessments
Nine Constitution Assessment
27 questions across 9 dimensions. About 5 minutes.
Seasonal Alignment Check
15 questions across 1 dimension. About 3 minutes.