Basic Concept of Yin and Yang in Chinese

08,2007 Editor:at0086| Resource:AT0086.com

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When first hearing these words, many people would be puzzled by them, for they don't know how to understand them. The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; pinyin: yīnyáng) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe.
When first hearing these words, many people would be puzzled by them, for they don't know how to understand them. The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; pinyin: yīnyáng) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe.
 
Yin, the darker element, is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night; yang, the brighter element, is active, light, masculine, and upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Then what is the meaning of them?
 
Meaning of terms
The meaning of the characters for yin and yang, necessarily, has more than just one connotation. Because yang means "sunny", it corresponds to the day and more active functions. And yin, meaning "shady", corresponds to night and less active functions. Yin and yang can be compared in the chart to the right. It is also possible to look at yin and yang with respect to the flow of time. Noon, is full yang, sunset is yang turning to yin; midnight is full yin and sunrise is yin turning to yang. This flow of time can also be expressed in seasonal changes and directions. Yin and yang can also be seen as a process of transformation which describes the changes between the phases of a cycle. The symbol shown at the top right-hand corner of this page, called Taijitu (太極圖), is another way to show yin and yang. The mostly white portion, being brighter, is yang and the mostly dark portion, being dim, is yin. Each, however, contains the seed of its opposite.
 
Principles of yin and yang
According to the philosophy of these two terms, everything can be described as either yin or yang. They also enjoy some principles.
 
1. Yin and yang are opposites
Everything has its opposite—although this is never absolute, only comparative. No one thing is completely yin or completely yang. Each contains the seed of its opposite. For example, cold can turn into hot; "what goes up must come down".
 
2. Yin and yang are interdependent
One cannot exist without the other. For example, day cannot exist without night.
 
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.
 
4. Yin and yang consume and support each other
Yin and yang are usually held in balance—as one increase, the other decreases. However, imbalances can occur. There are four possible imbalances: Excess yin, excess yang, yin deficiency, yang deficiency.
 
5. Yin and yang can transform into one another
At a particular stage, yin can transform into yang and vice versa. For example, night changes into day; warmth cools; life changes to death.
 
6. Part of yin is in yang and part of yang is in yin
The dots in each serve as a reminder that there are always traces of one in the other. For example, there is always light within the dark (e.g., the stars at night), these qualities are never completely one or the other.
 
While yin dominates femininity and yang masculinity, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, within the body of either sex, each of the five elements has a pair of organs assigned to it one yin one yang. The yin organs meridian has a downward flow of energy and the yang upward. As a result, an imbalance of the yin-yang ratio can cause illness. This is not to say that everyone should have exactly half of each; every individual needs to find this balance depending on their own constitution, climate, season, occupation and even emotional environment. If in perfect health, the individual should be able to adapt to any of the inevitable changes of life.
 

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