下面可就这三方面来谈：
在个人的层次上，和谐与均衡的追求又可分为内在与外在两方面，特别是从饮食延伸到医药上表现最明显。
At the level of the individual, the search for harmony and balance can be divided into internal and external aspects and is expressed most clearly in the fields of diet and medicine.
由于中国人注重内在和外在的“个体均衡”，因此也力求“阴阳”两种力量的均衡，这影响到中医中药“冷、热”的观念。例如黄连性属大寒，可以解毒、去火气；冬天吃姜母鸭以进补，这都以“阴阳调和”为出发点。
此外，食物也有相冲之说，例如蜂蜜不可和毛蟹一起食用，“有毒！”而中国人也把水果分为“冷、热”之性，如橘子性冷，胃不好的不能多吃；荔枝属热，吃多了容易上火... ... 民间对食物都给予冷、热或“平”的性质判断，没一个人要维持健康，就得维持冷热实物的均衡。其实这些并不完全是真的，但是很多人都相信。
As part of this way of thinking, Chinese people strive to maintain a balance within the individual between the forces of yin and yang (the dual principles of male and female, or positive and negative), which have influenced the concepts of hot and cold in Chinese food and medicine. The root of Chinese goldthread, for instance, is considered "cold" and can relieve internal heat, while ginger duck is considered "hot" and a fortifying dish in the winter. Certain foods are also said to "clash" with other foods and to produce harmful effect when eaten together. None of this may be completely true, but many people believe it all the same.