春秋戰國以下，原本意涵素樸也各有來歷的陰陽、五行說結合，能量放大，性質也有了轉變。從傳世與近年出土先秦兩漢文獻看來，基本上是循著黃老道家「因陰陽之大順」的方向，重在自然的消長、代勝與政事的順時操作。至漢儒董仲舒，轉為雙軌發展：既承繼黃老重自然消長輪替與生勝之理，又賦天以人性、神格，並吸收法家單向的尊君卑臣思想，將陰陽說移論人事倫理，轉出了絕對主從尊卑的「三綱」說。

Since the Periods of Spring-Autum and Warring-States, the doctrines of yin/yang and five elements have been combined, expanded and transformed in nature. In view of the surviving and recently excavated documents from the the Pre-Qin Period and the Han Dynasty, the combined doctrines basically followed the Huang-Lao Taoist orientation of ＂compiling with the natural rules of yin/yang,＂ focusing on the fluctuaiton of nature, rotation and the timely manipulation of governmental affairs. In the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhong-shu developed them on two tracks, balancing between the Huang-Lao Taoist princples of natural fluctatiaon, alteration and conquests and the Legalist concept about the superior ruler and inferior subjects.