Where the 25 types come from
Chapter 64 is written as a conversation. The Yellow Emperor asks about the different kinds of people, and his ministers Bo Gao and Qi Bo answer. Bo Gao starts from the idea that runs through the whole Neijing: the world comes in fives, and so do people.
天地之間，六合之內，不離於五，人亦應之。故五五二十五人之政。
Between heaven and earth, within the six directions, nothing falls outside the five, and people follow the same pattern. So there are five times five: twenty-five types of people.
Qi Bo then calls the 25 types a secret of the earlier teachers, one that even Bo Gao could not fully explain.
How five becomes 25
- 1Five main types. Each phase has one: the Wood person, the Fire person, the Earth person, the Metal person and the Water person. The text describes each one's complexion, head, face, shoulders, hands and feet and temperament (for most, also the belly and the walk), and the seasons they handle well.
- 2Four variations of each. Each main type then splits into four, for 20 more. The text places each variation on the left or right side of the body, on the upper or lower part of a channel, the pathways acupuncture follows. Each one gets a short portrait written as a doubled word, like 遺遺 (yi yi) or 安安 (an an). Scholars still debate what several of those words mean.
The types are named after the five notes of the old Chinese scale: jue for Wood, zhi for Fire, gong for Earth, shang for Metal and yu for Water. The main Wood type is the "upper jue," and its variations are the "great jue," the "left jue" and so on.
The five main types
Each type's complexion matches its phase's color: green, red, yellow, white and black. Our translations of the Lingshu, offered as history, not as a prediction.
The Wood type
上角 Upper Jue
- Build
- Greenish complexion, small head, long face, broad shoulders and back, straight body, small hands and feet.
- Temperament
- Talented. Works the mind hard. Little stamina. Worries a lot. Toils away at their affairs.
- Seasons
- Handles spring and summer, not autumn and winter.
The Fire type
上徵 Upper Zhi
- Build
- Reddish complexion, pointed face, small head, well-formed shoulders, back, hips and belly, small hands and feet. Steady on their feet, but sways when walking.
- Temperament
- Full of energy. Careless with money. Slow to trust. Thinks a lot. Sees things clearly. Good-looking. Impatient.
- Seasons
- Handles spring and summer, not autumn and winter.
The Earth type
上宮 Upper Gong
- Build
- Yellowish complexion, round face, big head, well-formed shoulders and back, big belly, strong thighs and calves, small hands and feet, well covered and well proportioned. Steady on their feet, with a light step.
- Temperament
- Calm at heart. Loves helping people. No interest in power. Easy to get close to.
- Seasons
- Handles autumn and winter, not spring and summer.
The Metal type
上商 Upper Shang
- Build
- Pale complexion, square face, small head, small shoulders, back and belly, small hands and feet, light bones.
- Temperament
- Incorruptible. Impatient at heart. Quiet but fierce. Excellent at being an official.
- Seasons
- Handles autumn and winter, not spring and summer.
The Water type
上羽 Upper Yu
- Build
- Dark complexion, uneven face, big head, angular jaw, small shoulders, big belly, restless hands and feet, sways when walking, long lower back.
- Temperament
- Respects no one. Fears nothing. Skilled at deceiving people.
- Seasons
- Handles autumn and winter, not spring and summer.
All 20 variations
Each main type sits on a yin channel. Its four variations sit on the paired yang channel, on the left or right side of the body and the upper or lower part of the channel. The portrait words are left in Chinese because their meanings are debated.
Wood variations
Gallbladder channel (foot shaoyang)
| Variation | Place | Portrait word |
|---|---|---|
| 大角 Da Jue | Left side, upper | 遺遺然 |
| 左角 Zuo Jue | Right side, lower | 隨隨然 |
| 釱角 Di Jue | Right side, upper | 推推然 |
| 判角 Pan Jue | Left side, lower | 栝栝然 |
Fire variations
Small Intestine channel (hand taiyang)
| Variation | Place | Portrait word |
|---|---|---|
| 質徵 Zhi Zhi | Left side, upper | 肌肌然 |
| 少徵 Shao Zhi | Right side, lower | 慆慆然 |
| 右徵 You Zhi | Right side, upper | 鮫鮫然 |
| 質判 Zhi Pan | Left side, lower | 支支頤頤然 |
Earth variations
Stomach channel (foot yangming)
| Variation | Place | Portrait word |
|---|---|---|
| 大宮 Da Gong | Left side, upper | 婉婉然 |
| 加宮 Jia Gong | Left side, lower | 坎坎然 |
| 少宮 Shao Gong | Right side, upper | 樞樞然 |
| 左宮 Zuo Gong | Right side, lower | 兀兀然 |
Metal variations
Large Intestine channel (hand yangming)
| Variation | Place | Portrait word |
|---|---|---|
| 釱商 Di Shang | Left side, upper | 廉廉然 |
| 右商 You Shang | Left side, lower | 脫脫然 |
| 左商 Zuo Shang | Right side, upper | 監監然 |
| 少商 Shao Shang | Right side, lower | 嚴嚴然 |
Water variations
Bladder channel (foot taiyang)
| Variation | Place | Portrait word |
|---|---|---|
| 大羽 Da Yu | Right side, upper | 頰頰然 |
| 少羽 Shao Yu | Left side, lower | 紆紆然 |
| 眾之為人 Zhong | Right side, lower | 潔潔然 |
| 桎之為人 Zhi | Left side, upper | 安安然 |
What doctors did with the types
The chapter was written for doctors. After the types, it explains how to judge the strength of a person's blood and qi from the eyebrows, beard and body hair along each channel, and how to adjust acupuncture to the person being treated.
How this relates to Find Your Phase
The Neijing typed people by looking at them: build, complexion, the way they walked. A quiz can't, so Find Your Phase asks about your build, energy and temperament instead. Your full reading pairs your two strongest phases, which also makes 25 combinations. That pairing is ours. The Neijing's own 25 are the ones above.
Questions about the 25 types
What are the 25 types of people in Chinese medicine?
The 25 types come from the Huangdi Neijing (Lingshu ch. 64). Each of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) has one main body type and four variations, which makes 25. The main types are described by build, complexion, temperament and the seasons they handle well; each variation gets a one-word portrait.
Who described the 25 types?
The Huangdi Neijing, the classic of Chinese medicine compiled about 2,000 years ago. Chapter 64 of its Lingshu is written as a conversation between the Yellow Emperor and his ministers Bo Gao and Qi Bo.
Is there modern research on the five-element body types?
A little. A small 2023 qualitative study explored the mental and physical traits of people of each of the five types (Li et al., Biomedical and Environmental Sciences). The 25 types remain traditional theory.
Which of the 25 types am I?
Take Find Your Phase, a free 13-question quiz based on the five main types of the Huangdi Neijing. It takes about two minutes. Your full reading pairs your two strongest phases, our modern stand-in for the variations.
Which phase are you?
See what the Neijing makes of you. Your result comes before we ask for an email.
Find your phase