ABSTRACT
The relationship between yin and yang aspects of phenomena is referred to in modern Chinese as yinyang. This chapter discusses the compound term thus refers to the complex dynamic. It shows why flexibility and responsiveness of knowledge constructs are more valued in Chinese medical practice than are explanatory "rigor" or generalized predictive power. The chapter considers the complex relation between the particular situation presented by each illness, including the methods and experience brought to bear by the doctor and the roles played by formal classificatory systems within the temporal structure and the specific teleology of the clinical encounter. The clinical encounter in contemporary Chinese medical practice is a process through which illness is formed into an actionable pattern and is acted on. Classificatory logics play an important role in this formative process. Effects are classified at successive levels of generality to develop a detailed picture of the current state of dynamic relations in the pathological process.
