Li (Chinese: 里, lǐ, or 市里, shìlǐ), also known as the Chinese mile, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. The li has varied considerably over time but was usually about one third of an English mile and now has a standardized length of a half-kilometer (500 meters or 1,640 feet).

Li (Chinese: 理; pinyin: lǐ) is a concept found in neo-Confucian Chinese philosophy. It refers to the underlying reason and order of nature as reflected in its organic forms. Zhu Xi held that li, together with qi (氣: vital, material force), depend on each other to create structures of nature and matter.

Qi, (Chinese: “steam,” “breath,” “vital energy,” “vital force,” “material force,” “matter-energy,” “organic material energy,” or “pneuma”) Wade-Giles romanization ch’i, in Chinese philosophy, medicine, and religion, the psychophysical energies that permeate the universe.

In English, qi (also known as chi) is usually translated as “vital life force,” but qi goes beyond that simple translation. According to Classical Chinese Philosophy, qi is the force that makes up and binds together all things in the universe. It is paradoxically, both everything and nothing.

Roughly translated, qi means energy, so, simply put, a qi deficiency means low energy. This low energy can affect the body as a whole or just specific organs that cause different symptoms. A general qi deficiency may cause some overall symptoms of fatigue and illness.

Symptoms of qi deficiency in this system include:

1. poor digestion.
2. weakness.
3. bloating.
4. loose stools.
5. low or no appetite.
6. anemia.

So, for left-handed and right-handed people, the right side is yang (masculine) and the left side is yin (feminine). In fact, lungs and bronchi deal with communication issues which are directly linked to the cerebral hemispheres of the cortex that control the opposite sides of the body.

The symbol The Yin, or the dark side, is associated with everything hard, negative, cold, wet, and feminine. The Yang, or the light side, is associated with things soft, positive, warm, dry, and masculine. That’s how you end up with a wave’s crest being Yang and its trough being Yin.

A diagnosis of kidney yin deficiency means that the reserves that moisten and nourish the body are weakened and unable to perform their functions. Eating foods that include enriching and fluid building foods, and avoiding overly hot, spicy food can help to preserve and restore kidney yin.

The yin yang symbol is popular in pendants, as it has perfect balance and excellent proportions.