The Yi people have their understanding of the universe. For instance, in the "Southwest Yi Chronicles: Creation Chronicles" it is said: "Before the sky was formed, the earth had not yet come into existence. Clear energy emerged, and then turbid energy appeared, with the turbid energy being red and dense. The clear energy rose and prospered, becoming the sky; the turbid energy descended, becoming the earth." The general idea is that in the beginning, there was only chaos, with no separation of heaven and earth. The lighter gases rose to form the sky, while the heavier ones descended to form the earth. The Yi people's cosmology of yin and yang also explains their understanding of seasonal changes and how all things in heaven and earth originate from the transformation of yin and yang energies. Seasonal and phenological changes are also results of these yin and yang transformations.

Similarly, in "Le E Te Yi" it is proposed that before the opening of heaven and earth, there was chaos, and within this chaos, changes in water, colour, light, and sound occurred, leading to the creation of heaven and earth. However, most interpretations of the Yi people's cosmology suggest that the division and evolution of yin and yang resulted in the creation of all things in heaven and earth. This is quite similar to the Han Chinese cosmology, as described in "Huainanzi: Astronomical Teachings" which states, "The concentrated essence of yin and yang forms the four seasons, and the dispersed essence of the four seasons forms all things. The accumulated heat of yang energy creates fire, and the essence of fire becomes the sun. The accumulated cold of yin energy creates water, and the essence of water becomes the moon. The essence of the sun and moon become the stars." Essentially, this follows the cosmological creation method described in the "I Ching" where "Taiji gives rise to the Two Forms, and the Two Forms give rise to the Four Symbols."