Classica Sinica Medica

兩陰交盡 简体 两阴交尽

liǎng yīn jiāo jìn

Two yin meeting their end · liang yin jiao jin

Also rendered: Two yin meeting their end (this site; 交 is the meeting and 盡 the ending, and the name of the qi is read out of both) · The exhaustion of the two yin (closer to 盡, and it loses 交, which the opposite phrase keeps with 合)

Cosmology

Reviewed · 2026-10-14

At a glance

Pinyin
liǎng yīn jiāo jìn
Simplified
两阴交尽
Literal
兩 liǎng — two; 陰 yīn — yin; 交 jiāo — to meet, to cross; 盡 jìn — to come to an end, to be exhausted. The four graphs name 厥陰 from the yin that meets and ends in it.
Shuowen
**《說文》：交，交脛也；盡，器中空也**。**「兩陰交盡」本篇2見**；**一見於答「厥陰何也」之問，一見於釋「幽」之句**；**「厥陰」本篇18見，為六氣之一**；**「盡」字本篇4見**；**其對語「兩陽合明」本篇2見**

In brief

The name of 厥陰, read out of the two yin that meet and end in it: 帝曰：厥陰何也？歧伯曰：兩陰交盡也. The chapter then uses the words again, and in the second use they name something larger: 兩陰交盡，故曰幽 — the dark half of the year, set against 兩陽合明，故曰明, with 幽明之配，寒暑之異也 for the closing statement. Read with its opposite number it is a diagram of the six qi’s ends: 厥陰 is where the yin comes to its last, 陽明 where the yang has gathered all its light, and the two together mark the farthest points of cold and heat, which is why the passage goes on at once to the 分至.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The words 兩陰交盡
二陰相交而至於盡
兩陰交盡也 — Suwen 74
2
What they name 厥陰
六氣之一
厥陰何也 — Suwen 74
3
Used again 故曰幽
幽明之幽即由此
兩陰交盡，故曰幽 — Suwen 74
4
Its counterpart 兩陽合明
一盡一合，相對而立
兩陽合明，故曰明 — Suwen 74
5
What it explains 幽明之配，寒暑之異也
幽者寒之屬
寒暑之異 — Suwen 74
6
Where it leads 分至
幽明既名而後分至可辨
氣至之謂至 — Suwen 74

Occurrences in the classics

Passages where the term does real work, with the original, pinyin and English on the same line.

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1 passages
Suwen 74 Suwen 74 · 至真要大論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：兩陰交盡，故曰幽；兩陽合明，故曰明。幽明之配，寒暑之異也。帝曰：分至何如？歧伯曰：氣至之謂至，氣分之謂分。至則氣同，分則氣異。所謂天地之正紀也。帝曰：夫子言春秋氣始于前，冬夏氣始于後，余已知之矣。然六氣往復，主歲不常也，其補冩柰何？歧伯曰：上下所主，隨其攸利，正其味，則其要也。左右同法。 歧伯曰：两阴交尽，故曰幽；两阳合明，故曰明。幽明之配，寒暑之异也。帝曰：分至何如？歧伯曰：气至之谓至，气分之谓分。至则气同，分则气异。所谓天地之正纪也。帝曰：夫子言春秋气始于前，冬夏气始于后，余已知之矣。然六气往复，主岁不常也，其补写奈何？歧伯曰：上下所主，随其攸利，正其味，则其要也。左右同法。
Qí bó yuē: liǎng yīn jiāo jìn, gù yuē yōu; liǎng yáng hé míng, gù yuē míng. Yōu míng zhī pèi, hán shǔ zhī yì yě. Dì yuē: fēn zhì hé rú? Qí bó yuē: qì zhì zhī wèi zhì, qì fēn zhī wèi fēn. Zhì zé qì tóng, fēn zé qì yì. Suǒ wèi tiān dì zhī zhèng jì yě. Dì yuē: fū zǐ yán chūn qiū qì shǐ yú qián, dōng xià qì shǐ yú hòu, yú yǐ zhī zhī yǐ. Rán liù qì wǎng fù, zhǔ suì bù cháng yě, qí bǔ xiè nài hé? Qí bó yuē: shàng xià suǒ zhǔ, suí qí yōu lì, zhèng qí wèi, zé qí yào yě. Zuǒ yòu tóng fǎ.
Qi Bo said: two yins crossing come to an end, hence it is called the dark; two yangs joined make brightness, hence it is called the bright. The pairing of dark and bright is the difference of cold and heat. Huang Di said: what of the equinoxes and the solstices? Qi Bo said: the arriving of qi is called the solstice; the dividing of qi is called the equinox. At the solstice the qi is the same; at the equinox the qi differs. This is what is called the upright order of heaven and earth. Huang Di said: you say the qi of spring and autumn begins before, and the qi of winter and summer begins after — I know that already. But the six qi go and return, and the governance of the year is not constant; how is the draining and supplementing? Qi Bo said: what the upper and the lower govern, follow where it benefits and rectify its flavour — that is the essential. The left and the right follow the same law.
**「兩陰交盡」本篇2見，此為後一見，在釋幽明之句**；**前一見作「兩陰交盡也」，是答厥陰何也之問**；**與「兩陽合明」同段並出，二者相對**；**「盡」字本篇4見，此為其一，别見「五氣盡終氣」之屬**

Compounds built on this term

厥陰
jué yīn
reverting yin
本篇18見；此詞所名之氣
兩陽合明
liǎng yáng hé míng
two yang joining their brightness
本篇2見；與此詞成對
幽明
yōu míng
the dark and the bright
本篇2見；二詞為其名
厥陰之至
jué yīn zhī zhì
the coming of reverting yin
本篇一見；其脉弦

How it has been translated

Every rendering below is a decision about which reader is being addressed. There is no neutral option.

This sitetwo yin meeting their endhow the chapter explains the name 厥陰, and then reuses the words for the dark half of the year
Literalthe two yin meeting and endingexact, and it does not read as a name
Descriptivewhere the yin comes together and runs outclear, and long for a phrase used to answer a two-graph question

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-14

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Reading path

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