Yin Yang

The concept of Yin Yang is originate from ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describe two primal opposing but complementary each other in all non-static objects and processes in the universe. The concept is the cornerstone for Taoism and traditional Chinese medicine.

Yin (阴) is the dark element: it is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the moon and night.

Yang (阳) is the bright element: it is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the sun and day.

Yin is often symbolized by water or earth, while Yang is symbolized by fire or wind.

Yin (the receptive, feminine, dark, passive force) and Yang (the creative, masculine, bright, active force) are descriptions of complementary opposites rather than absolutes. Any Yin/Yang dichotomy can be viewed from another perspective. All forces in nature can be seen as having Yin and Yang states, and the two are in movement rather than held in absolute stasis.


Summary of Yin and Yang concepts

1. Yin and Yang do not exclude each other.

Everything has its opposite: although this is never absolute - only relative. No one thing is completely yin or completely yang. Each contains the seed of its opposite. For example, winter can turn into summer; "what goes up, must come down".

2. Yin and Yang are interdependent.

One cannot exist without the other. For example, day (Yang) cannot exist without night (Yin). Light (Yang) cannot exist without darkness (Yin). Life (Yang) cannot exist without death (Yin).

3. Yin and Yang can be further subdivided into Yin and Yang.

Any Yin or Yang aspect can be further subdivided into Yin and Yang. For example, temperature can be seen as either hot or cold. However, hot can be further divided into warm or scorching; cold into cool or icy. Within each spectrum, there is a smaller spectrum; every beginning is a moment in time, and has a beginning and end, just as every hour has a beginning and end.

4. Yin and Yang consume and support each other.

Yin and Yang are usually held in balance: as one increases, the other decreases. However, imbalances can occur. There are four possible imbalances: excess Yin, excess Yang, Yin deficiency and Yang deficiency. They can again be seen as a pair: by excess of Yin there is a Yang deficiency and vice versa. The imbalance is also a relative factor: the excess of Yang "forces" Yin to be more "concentrated".


5. Yin and Yang can transform into one another.

At a particular stage, Yin can transform into Yang and vice versa. For instant, night (Yin) changes into day (Yang), life changes to death, water (soft) changes to ice (hard) after extreme cool and metal (hard) change to liquid (soft) after extreme burned.