Yin and yang - wikipedia Yin and yang For information about ( and other uses of ) the symbol, see Taijitu and Taiji ( philosophy ). `` Yin yang '' redirects here. For other uses, see Yin yang ( disambiguation ). `` Ying Yang '' redirects here. For Chinese people surnamed Yang, see Yang Ying. The `` taichi symbol '' ( taijitu ). Yin and yang `` Yin - yang '' in seal script ( top ), Traditional ( middle ), and Simplified ( bottom ) Chinese characters Chinese name Traditional Chinese 陰 陽 Simplified Chinese 阴 阳 Literal meaning `` dark - bright '' Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin yīnyáng Gwoyeu Romatzyh inyang Wade -- Giles yin - yang IPA ( ín. jǎŋ ) Hakka Romanization yim - yong Yue : Cantonese Yale Romanization yām - yèuhng IPA ( jɐ́m. jœ̏ːŋ ) Jyutping jam - joeng Southern Min Hokkien POJ im - iông Middle Chinese Middle Chinese ' im - yang Old Chinese Baxter ( 1992 ) * ʔrjum ljang Baxter -- Sagart ( 2014 ) * qrum lang Korean name Hangul 음 양 Hanja 陰陽 Transcriptions Revised Romanization eumyang McCune -- Reischauer ŭmyang Japanese name Kanji 陰陽 Hiragana いん よう, おん よう, おん みょう Transcriptions Revised Hepburn in'yō, on'yō, onmyō Part of a series on Taoism Theories Dao ( Tao ) De ( Te ) Wuji Taiji Yin - Yang Wu wei Ziran Xian Wu Xing Qi Practices Three Treasures Taoist meditation Taoist diet Neidan Taoist sexual practices Texts I Ching Laozi ( Tao Te Ching ) Zhuangzi Liezi Daozang Deities Hongjun Laozu Three Pure Ones Guan Shengdi Eight Immortals Yellow Emperor Li Hong Xiwangmu Jade Emperor Other deities People Laozi Zhuangzi Zhang Daoling Zhang Jue Ge Hong Chen Tuan Schools Way of the Taiping Wudoumi Tianshi Shangqing Lingbao Quanzhen ( Longmen ) Zhengyi Wuliu Yao Taoism Holy places Taoist temple Grotto - heavens Mount Penglai Organisations Chinese Taoist Association Celestial Master Daoshi Portal Taoism Part of a series on Chinese folk religion Concepts Tian -- Shangdi Qi Shen Ling Xian ling Yinyang Hundun Mingyun Yuanfen Baoying Wu Theory Chinese theology Chinese gods and immortals Chinese mythology Chinese creation myth Chinese spiritual world concepts Model humanity : Xian Zhenren Wen and wu Practices Fenxiang Jingxiang Feng shui Miaohui Wu shamanism Jitong mediumship Precious scrolls Institutions and temples Associations of good - doing Lineage associations or churches Chinese temple Ancestral shrine Chinese Folk Temples ' Association Festivals Qingming Zhongyuan Zhongqiu Jiuhuangye Qixi Duanwu Nian Internal traditions Major cultural forms Chinese ancestral religion Chinese communal deity religion Chinese mother goddess worship Northeast China folk religion Main philosophical traditions : Confucianism ( state rites ) Taoism Other schools Ritual traditions : Folk ritual masters ' orders Jitong mediumship Nuo folk religion Chinese shamanism Devotional traditions : Mazuism Wang Ye worship Salvation churches and sects : De teaching Jiugongdao Luo teaching Maitreya teachings Tiandi teachings Tianxian miaodao Xia teaching Xiantiandao Zaili teaching Qigong Confucian churches and sects : Holy Confucian Church Indonesian Confucian Church Universal Church of the Way and its Virtue Phoenix churches Xuanyuanism Taigu school Related religions Benzhuism Bimoism Bon Dongbaism Miao folk religion Vietnamese folk religion Qiang folk religion Yao folk religion Zhuang folk religion Chinese folk religion 's portal In Chinese philosophy, yin yang ( 陰 陽 yīnyáng, lit. `` dark - bright '', `` negative - positive '' ) describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Many tangible dualities ( such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting ) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine, and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, taijiquan ( t'ai chi ), and qigong ( Chi Kung ), as well as appearing in the pages of the I Ching. Duality is found in many belief systems, but yin and yang are parts of a Oneness that is also equated with the Tao. The term ' dualistic - monism ' or dialectical monism has been coined in an attempt to express this fruitful paradox of simultaneous unity / duality. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary ( rather than opposing ) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts. Everything has both yin and yang aspects ( for instance, shadow can not exist without light ). Either of the two major aspects may manifest more strongly in a particular object, depending on the criterion of the observation. The yin yang ( i.e. taijitu symbol ) shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section. In Taoist metaphysics, distinctions between good and bad, along with other dichotomous moral judgments, are perceptual, not real ; so, the duality of yin and yang is an indivisible whole. In the ethics of Confucianism on the other hand, most notably in the philosophy of Dong Zhongshu ( c. 2nd century BC ), a moral dimension is attached to the idea of yin and yang. Contents 1 Linguistic aspects 1.1 Characters 1.2 Pronunciations and etymologies 1.3 Meanings 1.4 Toponymy 1.5 Loanwords 2 History 3 Nature 4 Symbolism and importance 4.1 I Ching 4.2 Taijitu 4.3 Taijiquan 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Linguistic aspects The Chinese terms yin 陰 or 阴 `` shady side '' and yang 陽 or 阳 `` sunny side '' are linguistically analyzable in terms of Chinese characters, pronunciations and etymology, meanings, topography, and loanwords. Characters The Traditional Chinese characters 陰 and 陽 for the words yīn and yáng are both classified as radical - phonetic characters, combining the semantically significant `` mound ; hill '' radical 阝 or 阜 with the phonetic indicators ying 侌 and yang 昜. The first phonetic yīn 侌 `` cloudy '' ideographically combines jīn 今 `` now ; present '' and yún 云 `` cloud '', denoting the `` 今 presence of 云 clouds ''. The second phonetic yáng 昜 `` bright '' originally pictured 日 the `` sun '' with 勿 `` rays coming down ''. This phonetic is expanded with the `` sun '' radical into yáng 暘 `` rising sun ; sunshine ''. The `` mound ; hill '' radical 阝 full forms semantically specify yīn 陰 `` shady / dark side of a hill '' and yáng 陽 `` sunny / light side of a hill ''. The Simplified Chinese characters 阴 and 阳 for yīn and yáng combine the same `` hill '' radical 阝 with the non-phonetic yuè 月 `` moon '' and rì 日 `` sun '', graphically denoting `` shady side of a hill '' and `` sunny side of a hill ''. Compare the Classical Chinese names ( which contain tài 太 `` great '' ) for these two heavenly bodies : Tàiyīn 太陰 `` moon '' and Tàiyáng 太陽 `` sun ''. Pronunciations and etymologies The Modern Standard Chinese pronunciation of 陰 or 阴 is usually level first tone yīn `` shady ; cloudy '' or sometimes falling fourth tone yìn `` to shelter ; shade '', and 陽 or 阳 `` sunny '' is always pronounced with rising second tone yáng. Sinologists and historical linguists have reconstructed Middle Chinese pronunciations from data in the ( 7th century CE ) Qieyun rhyme dictionary and later rhyme tables, which was subsequently used to reconstruct Old Chinese phonology from rhymes in the ( 11th - 7th centuries BCE ) Shijing and phonological components of Chinese characters. Reconstructions of Old Chinese have illuminated the etymology of modern Chinese words. Compare these Middle Chinese and Old Chinese ( with asterisk ) reconstructions of yīn 陰 and yáng 陽 : ˑiəm < * ˑiəm and iang < * diang ( Bernhard Karlgren ) * ʔjəm and * raŋ ( Li Fang - Kuei ) ʔ ( r ) jum and * ljang ( William H. Baxter ), ʔjəm < * ʔəm and jiaŋ < * laŋ ( Axel Schuessler ) ' im < * qrum and yang < * laŋ ( William H. Baxter and Laurent Sagart ) Schuessler gives probable Sino - Tibetan etymologies for both Chinese words. Yin < * ʔəm compares with Burmese ʔum `` overcast ; cloudy '', Adi muk - jum `` shade '', and Lepcha so'yǔm `` shade '' ; and is probably cognate with Chinese àn < * ʔə̂mʔ 黯 `` dim ; gloomy '' and qīn < * khəm 衾 `` blanket '' Yang < * laŋ compares with Lepcha a-lóŋ `` reflecting light '', Burmese laŋ `` be bright '' and ə - laŋ `` light '', and Tai plaŋ `` bright '' ; and is perhaps cognate with Chinese chāng < * k - hlaŋ 昌 `` prosperous ; bright '' ( cf. Proto - Viet - Mong hlaŋ `` bright '' ), and bǐng < * braŋʔ 炳 `` bright ''. Meanings Yin and yang are semantically complex words. A reliable Chinese - English dictionary gives the following translation equivalents. Yin 陰 or 阴 Noun 1 ( philosophy ) negative / passive / female principle in nature 2 Surname Bound morpheme 1 the moon 2 shaded orientation 3 covert ; concealed ; hidden 4 7 negative 8 north side of a hill 9 south bank of a river 10 reverse side of a stele 11in intaglio Stative verb 1 overcast 2 sinister ; treacherous Yang 陽 or 阳 Bound morpheme 1 ( Chinese philosophy ) positive / active / male principle in nature 2the sun 4 in relief 5 open ; overt 6 belonging to this world 7 ( linguistics ) masculine 8 south side of a hill 9 north bank of a river The compound yinyang 陰陽 or 阴阳 means `` yin and yang ; opposites ; ancient Chinese astronomy ; occult arts ; astrologer ; geomancer ; etc. ''. The sinologist Rolf Stein etymologically translates Chinese yin 陰 `` shady side ( of a mountain ) '' and yang 陽 `` sunny side ( of a mountain ) '' with the uncommon English geographic terms ubac `` shady side of a mountain '' and adret `` sunny side of a mountain '' ( which are of French origin ). Toponymy Many Chinese place names or toponyms contain the word yang `` sunny side '' and a few contain yin `` shady side ''. In China, as elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, sunlight comes predominantly from the south, and thus the south face of a mountain or the north bank of a river will receive more direct sunlight than the opposite side. Yang refers to the `` south side of a hill '' in Hengyang 衡陽, which is south of Mount Heng 衡山 in Hunan province, and to the `` north bank of a river '' in Luoyang 洛陽, which is located north of the Luo River 洛 河 in Henan. Similarly, yin refers to `` north side of a hill '' in Huayin 華 陰, which is north of Mount Hua 華山 in Shaanxi province. Loanwords English yin, yang, and yin - yang are familiar loanwords of Chinese origin. The Oxford English Dictionary defines : yin ( jɪn ) Also Yin, Yn. ( Chinese yīn shade, feminine ; the moon. ) a. In Chinese philosophy, the feminine or negative principle ( characterized by dark, wetness, cold, passivity, disintegration, etc. ) of the two opposing cosmic forces into which creative energy divides and whose fusion in physical matter brings the phenomenal world into being. Also attrib. or as adj., and transf. Cf. yang. b. Comb., as yin - yang, the combination or fusion of the two cosmic forces ; freq. attrib., esp. as yin - yang symbol, a circle divided by an S - shaped line into a dark and a light segment, representing respectively yin and yang, each containing a ' seed ' of the other. yang ( jæŋ ) Also Yang. ( Chinese yáng yang, sun, positive, male genitals. ) a. In Chinese philosophy, the masculine or positive principle ( characterized by light, warmth, dryness, activity, etc. ) of the two opposing cosmic forces into which creative energy divides and whose fusion in physical matter brings the phenomenal world into being. Also attrib. or as adj. Cf. yin. b. Comb. : yang - yin = yin - yang s.v. yin b. For the earliest recorded `` yin and yang '' usages, the OED cites 1671 for yin and yang, 1850 for yin - yang, and 1959 for yang - yin. In English, yang - yin ( like ying - yang ) occasionally occurs as a mistake or typographical error for the Chinese loanword yin - yang -- yet they are not equivalents. Chinese does have some yangyin collocations, such as 洋銀 ( lit. `` foreign silver '' ) `` silver coin / dollar '', but not even the most comprehensive dictionaries ( e.g., the Hanyu Da Cidian ) enter yangyin * 陽 陰. While yang and yin can occur together in context, yangyin is not synonymous with yinyang. The linguistic term `` irreversible binomial '' refers to a collocation of two words A-B that can not normally be reversed as B-A, for example, English cat and mouse ( not * mouse and cat ) and friend or foe ( not * foe or friend ). Similarly, the usual pattern among Chinese binomial compounds is for positive A and negative B, where the A word is dominant or privileged over B, for example, tiandi 天地 `` heaven and earth '' and nannü 男女 `` men and women ''. Yinyang meaning `` dark and light ; female and male ; moon and sun '', however, is an exception. Scholars have proposed various explanations for why yinyang violates this pattern, including `` linguistic convenience '' ( it is easier to say yinyang than yangyin ), the idea that `` proto - Chinese society was matriarchal '', or perhaps, since yinyang first became prominent during the late Warring States period, this term was `` purposely directed at challenging persistent cultural assumptions ''. History Needham discusses Yin and Yang together with Five Elements as part of the School of Naturalists. He says that it would be proper to begin with Yin and Yang before Five Elements because the former : `` lay, as it were, at a deeper level in Nature, and were the most ultimate principles of which the ancient Chinese could conceive. But it so happens that we know a good deal more about the historical origin of the Five - Element theory than about that of the Yin and the Yang, and it will therefore be more convenient to deal with it first. '' He then discusses Zou Yan ( 鄒衍 ; 305 -- 240 BC ) who is most associated with these theories. Although Yin and Yang are not mentioned in any of the surviving documents of Zou Yan, his school was known as the Yin Yang Jia ( Yin and Yang School ) Needham concludes `` There can be very little doubt that the philosophical use of the terms began about the beginning of the - 4th century, and that the passages in older texts which mention this use are interpolations made later than that time. '' Nature In Daoist philosophy, dark and light, yin and yang, arrive in the Tao Te Ching at chapter 42. It becomes sensible from an initial quiescence or emptiness ( wuji, sometimes symbolized by an empty circle ), and continues moving until quiescence is reached again. For instance, dropping a stone in a calm pool of water will simultaneously raise waves and lower troughs between them, and this alternation of high and low points in the water will radiate outward until the movement dissipates and the pool is calm once more. Yin and yang thus are always opposite and equal qualities. Further, whenever one quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to transform into the opposite quality : for example, grain that reaches its full height in summer ( fully yang ) will produce seeds and die back in winter ( fully yin ) in an endless cycle. It is impossible to talk about yin or yang without some reference to the opposite, since yin and yang are bound together as parts of a mutual whole ( for example, there can not be the bottom of the foot without the top ). A way to illustrate this idea is to postulate the notion of a race with only men or only women ; this race would disappear in a single generation. Yet, men and women together create new generations that allow the race they mutually create ( and mutually come from ) to survive. The interaction of the two gives birth to things, like manhood. Yin and yang transform each other : like an undertow in the ocean, every advance is complemented by a retreat, and every rise transforms into a fall. Thus, a seed will sprout from the earth and grow upwards towards the sky -- an intrinsically yang movement. Then, when it reaches its full potential height, it will fall. Also, the growth of the top seeks light, while roots grow in darkness. Certain catchphrases have been used to express yin and yang complementarity : The bigger the front, the bigger the back. Illness is the doorway to health. Tragedy turns to comedy. Disasters turn out to be blessings. Symbolism and importance Yin is the black side with the white dot in it, and yang is the white side with the black dot in it. The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and a valley. Yin ( literally the ' shady place ' or ' north slope ' ) is the dark area occluded by the mountain 's bulk, while yang ( literally the ' sunny place ' or ' south slope ' ) is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed. Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive ; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity, and nighttime. Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and active ; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime. The Yin - Yang symbol, having no `` officially standardized '' rendition, has been the basis of much artistic variation, most of it `` frivolous '' ( that is, `` merely '' artistic, with no philosophical / mystical meaning, e.g., tattoos ). Yin and yang also applies to the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine good health is directly related to the balance between yin and yang qualities within oneself. If yin and yang become unbalanced, one of the qualities is considered deficient or has vacuity. I Ching In the I Ching, originally a divination manual of the Western Zhou period ( c. 1000 -- 750 BC ), yin and yang are represented by broken and solid lines : yin is broken ( ⚋ ) and yang is solid ( ⚊ ). These are then combined into trigrams, which are more yang ( e.g. ☱ ) or more yin ( e.g. ☵ ) depending on the number of broken and solid lines ( e.g., ☰ is heavily yang, while ☷ is heavily yin ), and trigrams are combined into hexagrams ( e.g. ䷕ and ䷟ ). The relative positions and numbers of yin and yang lines within the trigrams determines the meaning of a trigram, and in hexagrams the upper trigram is considered yang with respect to the lower trigram, yin, which allows for complex depictions of interrelations. Taijitu Main article : Taijitu The principle of yin and yang is represented in Taoism by the Taijitu ( literally `` Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate '' ). The term is commonly used to mean the simple `` divided circle '' form, but may refer to any of several schematic diagrams representing these principles, such as the swastika, common to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Similar symbols have also appeared in other cultures, such as in Celtic art and Roman shield markings. Taijiquan Taijiquan ( Chinese : 太极 拳 ), a form of martial art, is often described as the principles of yin and yang applied to the human body and an animal body. Wu Jianquan, a famous Chinese martial arts teacher, described Taijiquan as follows : Various people have offered different explanations for the name Taijiquan. Some have said : -- ' In terms of self - cultivation, one must train from a state of movement towards a state of stillness. Taiji comes about through the balance of yin and yang. In terms of the art of attack and defense then, in the context of the changes of full and empty, one is constantly internally latent, to not outwardly expressive, as if the yin and yang of Taiji have not yet divided apart. ' Others say : ' Every movement of Taijiquan is based on circles, just like the shape of a Taijitu. Therefore, it is called Taijiquan. -- Wu Jianquan, The International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan See also Taoism portal China portal Dualistic cosmology Five elements Flag of Tibet Flag of South Korea Flag of Mongolia Fu Xi Gankyil Huangdi Neijing Ometeotl Qi Taegeuk T'ai chi ch'uan Tomoe Traditional Chinese medicine Zhuangzi References Footnotes Jump up ^ Porkert ( 1974 ). The Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine. MIT Press. ISBN 0 - 262 - 16058 - 7. Jump up ^ Georges Ohsawa ( 1931 ) The Unique Principle, link from Google Books Jump up ^ Taylor Latener, Rodney Leon ( 2005 ). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism, Vol. 2. New York : Rosen Publishing Group. p. 869. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8239 - 4079 - 0. Jump up ^ Bernhard Karlgren, Analytic Dictionary of Chinese and Sino - Japanese, Paul Geunthner, 1923, p. 104. Jump up ^ Wenlin, version 4.1. 1, 2012, n.p. Jump up ^ Bernhard Karlgren, Grammata Serica Recensa, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1957, 173, 188. Jump up ^ Li, Fang - Kuei, `` Studies on Archaic Chinese '', translated by Gilbert L. Mattos, Monumenta Serica 31, 1974 : 219 -- 287. Jump up ^ William H. Baxter, A Handbook of Old Chinese Phonology, Mouton de Gruyter, 1992. Jump up ^ Schuessler, Axel, ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese, University of Hawaii Press, 2007, 558, 572. Jump up ^ Baxter & Sagart ( 2014 ), pp. 326 - 378. Jump up ^ John DeFrancis, ed., ABC Chinese - English Comprehensive Dictionary, University of Hawaii Press, 2003, 1147, 1108. Jump up ^ Rolf Stein ( 2010 ), Rolf Stein 's Tibetica Antiqua : With Additional Materials, Brill, p. 63. Jump up ^ Arnoldus Montanus, Atlas Chinensis : Being a relation of remarkable passages in two embassies from the East - India Company of the United Provinces to the Vice-Roy Singlamong, General Taising Lipovi, and Konchi, Emperor, Thomas Johnson, tr. by J. Ogilby, 1671, 549 : `` The Chineses by these Strokes.. declare.. how much each Form or Sign receives from the two fore - mention 'd Beginnings of Yn or Yang. '' Jump up ^ William Jones Boone, `` Defense of an Essay on the proper renderings of the words Elohim and θεός into the Chinese Language, '' Chinese Repository XIX, 1850, 375 : ``... when in the Yih King ( or Book of Diagrams ) we read of the Great Extreme, it means that the Great Extreme is in the midst of the active - passive primordial substance ( Yin - yáng ) ; and that it is not exterior to, or separate from the Yin - yáng. '' Jump up ^ Carl Jung, `` Aion : Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self '', in The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, tr. by R.F.C. Hull, Volume 9, Part 2, p. 58 '' `` ( The vision of `` Ascension of Isaiah '' ) might easily be a description of a genuine yang - yin relationship, a picture that comes closer to the actual truth than the privatio boni. Moreover, it does not damage monotheism in any way, since it unites the opposites just and yang and yin are united in Tao ( which the Jesuits quite logically translated as `` God '' ). '' Jump up ^ For instance, the Huainanzi says '' `` Now, the lumber is not so important as the forest ; the forest is not so important as the rain ; the rain is not so important as yin and yang ; yin and yang are not so important as harmony ; and harmony is not so important as the Way. ( 12, 材 不及 林, 林 不及 雨, 雨 不及 陰陽, 陰陽 不及 和, 和 不及 道 ; tr. Major et al. 2010, 442 ). Jump up ^ Roger T. Ames, `` Yin and Yang '', in Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy, ed. by Antonio S. Cua, Routledge, 2002, 847. Jump up ^ Needham, Joseph ; Science and Civilization in China Vol. 2 : History of Scientific Thought ; Cambridge University Press ; 1956 Jump up ^ Needham, Joseph ; Science and Civilization in China Vol. 2 : History of Scientific Thought ; Cambridge University Press ; 1956 Jump up ^ Muller, Charles. `` Daode Jing ''. Retrieved 2012 - 09 - 04. Jump up ^ Robin R. Wang `` Yinyang ( Yin - yang ) ''. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Jump up ^ Nyoiti Sakurazawa & William Dufty ( 1965 ) You Are All Sanpaku, page 33 Jump up ^ Osgood, Charles E. `` From Yang and Yin to and or but. '' Language 49.2 ( 1973 ) : 380 -- 412. JSTOR Jump up ^ Li CL. A brief outline of Chinese medical history with particular reference to acupuncture. Perspect Biol Med. 1974 Autumn ; 18 ( 1 ) : 132 - 43. Jump up ^ The text of the I Ching has its origins in a Western Zhou divination text called the Changes of Zhou ( 周易 Zhōu yì ). Various modern scholars suggest dates ranging between the 10th and 4th centuries BC for the assembly of the text in approximately its current form. Nylan, Michael ( 2001 ), The Five `` Confucian '' Classics ( 2001 ), p. 228. Jump up ^ Giovanni Monastra : `` The `` Yin -- Yang '' among the Insignia of the Roman Empire ? Archived 2011 - 09 - 25 at the Wayback Machine., '' `` Sophia, '' Vol. 6, No. 2 ( 2000 ) Jump up ^ `` Late Roman Shield Patterns - Magister Peditum ''. www.ne.jp. Jump up ^ Helmut Nickel : `` The Dragon and the Pearl, '' Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 26 ( 1991 ), p. 146, Fn. 5 Jump up ^ Woolidge, Doug ( June 1997 ). `` T'AI CHI The International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan Vol. 21 No. 3 ''. Wayfarer Publications. ISSN 0730 - 1049. Works cited Baxter, William H. ; Sagart, Laurent ( 2014 ). Old Chinese : A New Reconstruction. Oxford : Oxford University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 994537 - 5. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yin Yang. Look up yin, yang, or yin - yang in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Yin Yang meaning in Chinese educational video. Yin and Yang, goldenelixir.com `` Precelestial and Postcelestial Yin and Yang '', by Liu Yiming ( 1734 -- 1821 ) Chinese philosophy Schools of Thought Agriculturalism Confucianism Taoism Han learning Huang - Lao Legalism Mohism Neo-Confucianism Neo-Taoism New Confucianism Chinese Marxist Philosophy School of Diplomacy School of Names School of Naturalists Yangism See also : Hundred Schools of Thought Philosophers Confucius Gaozi Gongsun Long Han Feizi Huan Tan Huang Zongxi Jin Yuelin Laozi Li Si Lu Jiuyuan Mencius Mozi Shang Yang Su Qin Sunzi Tu Weiming Wang Chong Wang Fuzhi Wang Yangming Xu Xing Xunzi Yang Zhu Zhang Yi Zhu Xi Zhuangzi Zou Yan Concepts Dào : Way Dé : Virtue Fǎ : Model Jiān ài : Universal Love Jing : Reverence Jìngzuo : Meditation Lĭ : Ritual propriety Li : Law Mìng : Mandate or fate Qì : Energy Qing : Essence Rén : Humaneness Shén : Spirit Si : Reflection Tǐ : Substance Tiān : Divine force Wú wéi : Nonaction Xiào : Filial piety Xin : Disposition or intuition Xing : Human nature Yì : Righteousness Yīnyáng : Interdependent opposites Yòng : Function Zhèngmíng : Rectification of names Zhì : Intention or will ; Wisdom or cleverness Zìrán : Self - so or natural Topics Aesthetics Epistemology Ethics ( Role ethics State consequentialism ) Logic Metaphysics Political philosophy Social philosophy Theology Regional schools Lingnan Confucianism Traditional Chinese medicine ( TCM ) Practices Acupuncture Chinese herbology Chinese massage ( Tuina ) Fire cupping Moxibustion Qigong Concepts Meridians Yin and yang Three Treasures Chi Essence Spirit Five Phases Earth Fire Metal Water Wood Organs in Chinese medicine Yin organs Heart Kidney Pericardium Liver Lung Spleen Yang organs Gallbladder Large Intestine Small Intestine Stomach Triple Warmer Urinary Bladder Noted physicians Hua Tuo ( 141 - 208 ) Li Shizhen ( 1518 - 1593 ) Sun Simiao ( 581 -- 682 ) Zhang Jiegu ( ca. 1140 - 1220 ) Zhang Zhongjing ( ca. 150 - 219 ) Contemporary related topics Alternative medicine Energy medicine Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yin_and_yang&oldid=825480224 '' Categories : Chinese martial arts terminology Chinese philosophy Metaphors Taoist cosmology Chinese words and phrases Meditation T'ai chi ch'uan Dualism Traditional Chinese medicine Religious symbols Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles containing Chinese - language text Articles containing Korean - language text Articles containing Japanese - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2012 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Asturianu Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge 客家 語 / Hak - kâ - ngî 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa Қазақша Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 13 February 2018, at 17 : 05. 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Question: what does the yin and yang symbol stand for
Answer: how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another