#사괘

[nocturnalinseoul]

기특하다. 대견하고...

[mykoreanstudy]

Traditional Korean Medicine: 사상체질

상사체질 are four main body types that can show, in relation to the elements, which physiological areas you are strong/weak in and thus what foods you should be eating/avoiding based on your personal type. The four types are made up of one of 태/소(big/small) and one of the poles of 음양 (yin-yang) There are online tests to help determine which type you are, like this one. I will make a short summary in english.

태양: upper body stronger than lower body, stiff walk, sweats normally, white or slightly black complexion, wide forehead, large round eyes, strong chest, warm hands, soft or dry skin, talks a lot but not too much, sociable, stubborn, impulsive, avoids greasy food, poops often, cannot walk for long periods of time due to weaker legs. 

태음: fat distribution concentrated in middle of body, slow walk, sweats a lot, brown or black complexion, small eyes, wide chest, warm hands, large pores, talks a lot only with those close to them, avoids change, good appetite, not picky, occasionally suffers from constipation.

소양: light lower half, fast walk, sweats normally, white or red complexion, thin lips, large eyes, normal chest, warm hands, light dry skin, talks incessantly, active, has good judgement, gets tired of things easily and thus has a problem finishing tasks, not picky, eats quickly, likes cold foods, experiences lots of pain when constipated, forgetful.

소음: upper body disproportionately small, natural walk, sweats very little, light yellow complexion, eyes neither large nor small, narrow chest, cold hands, soft skin, small pores, talks slowly and quietly, introverted, can be selfish at times, doesn’t shake emotions easily, small appetite, eats slowly, sighs a lot, has digestion problems occasionally.

You can see the four types in this exaggerated illustration.

태양인 are said to have large lungs and a small liver. Thus, they should concentrate on eating foods good for the liver.

태음인 have a large liver and small lungs (opposite of 태양) 

소양인 have a large spleen and small kidneys

소음인 have large kidneys and a small spleen (opposite of 소양)

Here are the health problems the different types are thought to be susceptible to:

태양: back pain, nausea, chronic fatigue

태음: colds, allergies, constipation, high blood pressure.

소양: constipation, memory loss, teeth problems, swelling

소음: digestion problems, high-strung nerves, lethargy.

Here are some faces made up of people with the four different body types, to show a representative face for each type. The differences are subtle, but I think you can see the similarities between the men & women in their respective types.  

In terms of psychology studies have been done that link 사상체질 with different blood types, 사괘, and MBTI types. Can’t speak for the accuracy of these studies, but I had a good laugh at “I am not ok (you are not ok).”

One’s body type can be proven using a process of putting rings on one hand (one gold, and one silver ring) in different variations. When the rings are worn correctly for your body type, you can retain strength in your other hand, whereas when you wear the rings in the way of a different type, you lose strength. It’s hard to explain, but I saw a professor do it to a few students, and it was pretty cool. 

There’s also a body type theory (that I think is popular in Chinese medicine) called 8상체질, which has eight different types instead of four as shown in the diagram above. Personally I find the 사상체질 to be more interesting though, and less complicated.