Four types, by the size of the organs

Sasang constitution, the notes say, sorts people into four kinds by the relative size of the organs. The heart is left out of the pairing. Large lungs and a small liver make a Taeyangin; a large liver and small lungs a Taeumin; a large spleen and small kidneys a Soyangin; large kidneys and a small spleen a Soeumin.

Constitution, in this account, also shows in the working of the organs, in the mind’s desires, in inborn bent and talent, in the shape of the body and of its energy, in the face, and in the voice. Physiology, pathology, herbal use and the conditions of a healthy life all change with the type.

Telling the types apart is still hard to do with objective certainty, the writer says, yet an O-Ring test is now the method most often used. Television, the notes add, has often shown a version that uses radish, potato, cucumber and carrot.

An O-Ring test, and a ninety-percent claim left as a claim

Jewellery, a watch, keys and similar metal are taken off. The person sits facing forward, both hands held more than twenty centimetres from the body, and makes a round ring with the thumb and index finger of one hand. The tester also makes rings with both hands, has the person press the ring as hard as possible, and pulls in a straight line. The pull, the notes warn, should not jump when the ring begins to open; the same force is held for about two or three seconds.

After that baseline, medicines or foods are placed at random in the tester’s other hand, and one asks which of them lets the fingers hold. If the person’s fingers are very strong, the tester may use the second and third fingers for the ring; if they are weak, the thumb with the third or fourth finger. For someone who cannot press hard — an older person, or someone with rheumatoid arthritis — a third person is used. Strength is not scored in fine grades from plus four to minus four; the type is guessed from which item gives the strongest response.

The notes claim that about ninety percent of constitutions can be sorted this way, and that practice raises the accuracy. That figure stays as the claim in the notes, not as a later official rate. The writer also wants the test compared with other methods, and lists common errors: a pull not in a straight line, the tester’s arms bent below about 150 degrees, or below 120, an open ring that may pick up the tester’s own imbalance or a medicine in a pocket, and jewellery or a watch left on the person’s arm.

Medicinal foods clearly listed for Taeyangin

The notes then list medicinal foods and herbs by constitution. A long list is clearly headed for Taeyangin. Among grains it names buckwheat, brown rice, whole wheat, barley, black beans, kidney beans, peas, bean sprouts, black adzuki, rye, perilla, mung beans, black sesame, white rice, maize, coloured beans and millet. Vegetables run from cabbage, lettuce and spinach through aubergine, potato, sweet potato, burdock, cucumber and almost all mushrooms. Fruits and nuts include grapes, wild grapes, citron, cherries, quince, strawberries, plums, melon, grapefruit, lemon, persimmon, pineapple, banana, pear, kiwi, apricot, fig, watermelon, peach, pumpkin seeds, oats, almonds and oranges. Medicines named include motherwort, acanthopanax, safflower seed, red ginseng, aloe, eucommia, pine needles, earthworm and silkworm powder. Seaweeds and fish run from laver, kelp and chlorella to flatfish, saury, octopus, shrimp, oyster, crab, mackerel, anchovy and salmon.

Further lists of grains, vegetables, fruits, medicines, seafood and some meats follow in the notes, but they come without a clear heading in this part of the notes. Those items are not assigned here to a named constitution.

The same Korean essay, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.

Sources

1. A student essay on Sasang constitutions, an O-Ring test, and medicinal foods.
2. Four types — Taeyangin, Taeumin, Soyangin and Soeumin — as the notes divide them by the relative size of the organs.
3. A ninety-percent claim for the O-Ring test, left as the notes word it, and a Taeyangin food list that is clearly labelled in this part of the notes.

Last updated: 14 November 2026