You can get an important hint to solution by thinking how to make the yin-yang puzzle work in a typed language, see [this question][1]. OCaml computes the type of `yin` and `yang` to be `('a -> 'a) as 'a`, which is a recursive type equal to its own function space. Such a type is precisely what it takes to implement the untyped $\lambda$-calculus in a typed language. What does this have to do with your question? In the untyped $\lambda$-calculus (or typed calculus with general recursive types) we can *define* $\mu$ and other [fixed-point combinators][2]. So, since `yin` and `yang` cannot be given types, we must use the untyped $\lambda$-calculus, but then $\mu$ is not needed as a primitive. In fact, the CPS transform of the puzzle will be just pure $\lambda$-calculus. You can compute the CPS transform in the privacy of your mind. Here is my version, written in Ocaml. To run it, you need to pass `-rectypes` to Ocaml: let callcc f k = f k ;; let yin c = callcc (fun x -> x x) (fun k -> print_char '@'; c k) ;; let yang c = callcc (fun x -> x x) (fun k -> print_char '*'; c k) ;; let _ = yin yang (fun x -> x) ;; Clearly, the `let` statements are just a convenience. Without them, and with `callcc` expanded out, we get: (fun c -> (fun x -> x x) (fun k -> print_char '@'; c k)) (fun c -> (fun x -> x x) (fun k -> print_char '*'; c k)) (fun x -> x) We could remove the `print_char` statement and $\eta$-reduce: 1. Start with: (fun c -> (fun x -> x x) (fun k -> c k)) (fun c -> (fun x -> x x) (fun k -> c k)) (fun x -> x) 2. Reduce `fun k -> c k` to `c`: (fun c -> (fun x -> x x) c) (fun c -> (fun x -> x x) c) (fun x -> x) 3. Reduce `fun c -> (fun x -> x x) c` to `fun x -> x x`: (fun x -> x x) (fun x -> x x) (fun x -> x) So the essence of the yin-yang puzzle is just self-application of self-application. How appropriate! As a last step, we can put in the `print_char` statements again, to get a one-liner: (fun x -> x (fun k -> print_char '@'; x k)) (fun x -> x (fun k -> print_char '*'; x k)) (fun x -> x) [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9250474/does-the-yin-yang-continuations-puzzle-make-sense-in-a-typed-language [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-point_combinator