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Yin And Yang

In Chinese philosophy and religion, yin yang, often referred to in China as yinyang and in the West as yin and yang, is the concept that two seemingly opposing principles in the natural world, yin and yang, one negative, dark, and feminine (yin), and one positive, bright, and masculine (yang), are actually conjoined, interconnected, and interdependent, and that they give rise to each other in turn. Many other natural dualities, such as low and high, good and evil, or right and wrong, are believed to fall under the principle of yin yang, as well. Their interaction is thought to influence the destinies of all creatures and things.

The yin yang concept lies at the heart of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy. It is a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, taijiquan, and qigong.

graphic representation

Yin yang is at heart an idea, not a picture, but graphic symbolism can go a long way toward illustrating the principle that is at work here. The concept of yin yang is graphically represented in many different ways. Below are four of them.

The leftmost graphic symbol is one of the most common representations of the concept of yin yang. The circle suggest the wholeness, completeness, and cyclical nature that includes all that there is. The larger, black, pear-shaped, fish-like area within the circle represents yin; its counterpart—the white area—yang. The large end of each area diminishes from fullness to a narrow nothingness, suggesting that yin increases in full measure as yang diminishes (yin gives way to yang), and vice versa. The two areas are of equal size, suggesting that yin is equally widespread and equally effectual to yang, and vice versa.

What does the white dot in the "eye" of the black area signify? Consider the next graphical symbol of the yin yang symbol, second from the left. The white dot in the black area signifies the converse of the black dot in the white area, and vice versa. The white dot states that there is a touch of yang, even in the midst of the fullness of yin; and the black dot states that there is a touch of yin, even in the midst of the fullness of yang.

The next version of the yin yang graphical symbol, third from the left, depicts just a few of the many opposites that fall under the mantle of yin yang. Non-substantial is the opposite of substantial; hot is the opposite of cold.

The last version of the yin yang graphical symbol, fourth from the left, depicts the way in which the principles of yin and yang align with the seasons, the four cardinal directions, and the elements (air, earth, fire, and water), as ancient Chinese philosophers saw them. Notice the Earth's axis. As Earth revolves, darkness and cold (yin) are at their height in the northerly regions during winter when the Earth's tilt positions the sun low in the north, and water is frozen or slushy. The white dot suggests, perhaps, a nice, warm, cozy fire in one's hut that will reduce these negative effects. Winter gradually subsides as spring arrives, bringing new tree growth. Opposing effects occur concurrently on opposite sides of the Earth.

history

The earliest Chinese symbolic characters for yin and yang are found in inscriptions made on oracle bones, the skeletal remains of animals used in ancient Chinese divination practices. These occur at least as early as the 14th century BCE. In these inscriptions, yin and yang are descriptions of natural phenomena such as weather conditions, especially the movement of the sun. There is sunlight during the day (yang) and a lack of sunlight at night (yin).

According to the earliest comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters, dating from about 100 CE, yin refers to a closed door, darkness and the south bank of a river and the north side of a mountain. Yang refers to height, brightness and the south side of a mountain.

Clearly, meanings like these originate in the daily life experiences of ordinary early Chinese peasants recognized that they depended on sunlight for life. In their earliest usages, the concepts of yin and yang were not associated with one another, but a diurnal/nocturnal farming lifestyle may have led to the early Chinese claim that yang is movement and yin is rest. The first written record of using these two words (Chinese characters) together appears in a verse from the Chinese Book of Songs, which contains the line, Viewing the scenery at a hill, looking for yinyang. This suggests that yang is the sunny side of the hill and yin is the shady side, and that this effect of the sun exists at the same time on all sides of the hill.

the essential nature of this conceptual symbol

Chinese philosophy is far from monolithic; many differences views and opinions arise in the interpretation, application, and appropriation of the notion of yinyang. However, most Chinese philosophical treatments agree on these basic notions: 1) yinyang is a coherent fabric of nature and mind, present in all existence, 2) yinyang expresses an interaction between the waxing and waning of the cosmic and human realms, and 3) yinyang is a process of harmonization that ensures a constant, dynamic balance of all things.

As Chinese philosophy sees it, yinyang is not itself a substance or physical force in the world, the way it might be conceived of in a Western philosophy. Instead, it is a way of describing the interactions and interrelations of natural forces that actually do occur in the world. It applies as well to social constructs and value judgments such as good and evil, rich and poor, or honor and dishonor. Yinyang is often used in these kinds of contexts to censure or warn, since by its principles extreme good will inevitably turn to evil, extreme wealth will inevitably turn to poverty, and extreme honor will inevitably turn to extreme dishonor. Yinyang is a symbol or shorthand name for the way the world operates at its most basic level.

Just as with many other Chinese philosophical constructs, yinyang's conceptual meanings are hard to define objectively. For example, one might justifiably ask for further explanation of the characteristics of a coherent fabric of nature and mind; one might ask for an objective definition of harmony; or one might ask for an objective demonstration of an interaction between the waxing and waning of the cosmic and human realms. However, problems like these do not automatically disqualify yinyang from serious consideration. Many other metaphysical formulations in the Western and Oriental worlds exhibit the same kinds of vagaries, yet they are taken seriously.

We see that yinyang is as much a point of view as it is a testable hypothesis; it is as much a conceptual generalization that can be meaningfully applied to characterize or describe a plethora of mental and physical phenomena as it is a scientifically demonstrable fact.

Nevertheless, yinyang is a notion that has spread around the globe and conditioned people's thinking for centuries. With relatively few exceptions, yinyang has become a popular and well-known symbol in societies everywhere. Just pronounce the words yin and yang or flash a graphic image that represents yinyang, like the ones above on this page, and most people will know what you mean.

a critique

Although Chinese philosophy would have us believe otherwise, most people would agree that observations such as dawn will follow night or the sun will come up tomorrow are the result of common sense observation; they are based on everyday experience and are undeniably true. More rigorous observations such as electrostatic activity follows a thunder storm or wall clouds are precursors of tornados are scientific, demonstrable facts based on evidence; they also are undeniably true. By themselves, observations like these say nothing about universal, underlying principles like yinyang that make things happen the way they do; they neither prove nor disprove the existence of fundamental, heavenly forces outside the universe that cause the machinery of the universe to turn. They say nothing that one can put one's finger on.

In truth, observations like these are characterizations that result from the way people look at (classify) events and things. Values like honor or dishonor, harmony, and balance are in the mind of the beholder; they are opinions and judgments.

There is no denying that judgments like these can be applied to human activity; that is a fact so evident as to be a cliché. But that doesn't make natural or human behavior the result of an extra-earthly force acting on nature and people called yinyang.

Based on observations about sunrise or thunder storms—or honor and dishonor, for that matter—there is no way either to prove or disprove the existence of a coherent fabric of nature and mind present in all existence, let alone to objectively demonstrate that it acts on concrete or abstract entities grounded in the universe in the manner claimed.

Despite its almost universal appeal, the notion of yinyang does not have an objective life of its own; it is not a force of nature like electricity or magnetism or death and taxes. People or natural objects may sometimes behave according to the tenets of yinyang, but yinyang can hardly be thought of as a philosophy, and certainly not as a science. The Muses suggest that it is more accurate to think of yin and yang as a way of looking at things.

• Want to learn more about yinyang? See a detailed explanation of the tenets of the yin yang concept. Visit the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy web pages about yinyang: click here.
• Disagree with the ideas expressed in this critique? The Muses invite you to share your opinions with Electricka's muses and other visitors at Electricka's Forum called Emails to the Editor: click here.

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