Editing Yin and yang

{{Short description|Philosophical concept of dualistic-monism or dynamic-monism in ancient Chinese philosophy}}
{{Redirect|Yin yang|other uses|Yin yang (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| collapse = no
| pic = Yin and Yang symbol.svg
| piccap = A [[taijitu]] of a particular style that is often named a "yin and yang symbol", the black area representing yin, with the opposite white side representing yang. The dots are representative of one within the other.
| picupright = 0.6
| t = {{linktext|陰陽}}
| s = 阴阳
| p = yīnyáng
| w = {{tone superscript|yin1-yang2}}
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|yin|1|.|yang|2}}
| gr = inyang
| j = jam1 joeng4
| y = yām yèuhng
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|j|am|1|-|j|oeng|4}}
| poj = im-iông
| tl = im-iông
| h = {{tone superscript|yim1-yong2}}
| mc = 'im-yang
| oc-b92 = &ast;ʔrjum ljang
| oc-bs = &ast;q(r)um lang
| hangul = 음양
| hanja = 陰陽
| rr = eumyang
| mr = ŭmyang
| qn = âm dương
| chuhan = 陰陽
| mon = арга билэг / арга билиг
| mong = ᠡ‍ᠠ‍ᠷᠭ᠎᠎ᠠ ᠪᠢᠯᠡᠭ <br /> ᠠᠷᠭ᠎ᠠ ᠪᠢᠯᠢᠭ
| kanji = 陰陽
| hiragana = {{unbulleted list|いんよう|おんよう|おんみょう}}
| revhep = {{unbulleted list|in'yō|on'yō|onmyō}}
| tp = yin-yáng
| bpmf = ㄧㄣ ㄧㄤˊ
| katakana = {{unbulleted list|インヨウ|オンヨウ|オンミョウ}}
| kunrei = {{unbulleted list|in'you|on'you|onmyou}}
}}
{{Taoism}}
{{Chinese folk religion}}

'''Yin and yang''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|j|ɪ|n}}, {{IPAc-en|j|æ|ŋ}}), also '''yinyang'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stefon |first=Matt |date=7 May 2021 |title=yinyang |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/yinyang |access-date=3 May 2023 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Robin R. |title=Yinyang (Yin-yang) |url=https://iep.utm.edu/yinyang/ |access-date=3 May 2023 |website=[[Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |language=en-US}}</ref> or '''yin-yang''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shan |first=Jun |date=3 February 2020 |title=What Do Yin and Yang Represent? |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/yin-and-yang-629214 |access-date=3 May 2023 |website=[[ThoughtCo]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> is a concept that originated in [[Chinese philosophy]], describing an opposite but interconnected, self-perpetuating cycle. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary and at the same time opposing forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts and the parts are as important for the cohesion of the whole.<ref>{{cite book |author=Georges Ohsawa |author-link=Georges Ohsawa |year=1976 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQqDZnm43mkC |title=The Unique Principle |publisher=George Ohsawa Macrobiotic |isbn=978-0-918860-17-0 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

In [[Chinese cosmology]], the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of primordial [[qi]] or material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and yang, force and motion leading to form and matter. "Yin" is retractive, passive and contractive in nature, while "yang" is repelling, active and expansive in principle; this dichotomy in some form, is seen in all things in nature—patterns of change and difference. For example, biological, psychological and seasonal cycles, the historical evolution of landscapes over days, weeks, years to eons. The original meaning of Yin was depicted as the northerly shaded side of a hill and Yang being the bright southerly aspect. When pertaining to human gender Yin is associated to more rounded feminine characteristics and traits and Yang as sharp and masculine.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations |last=Feuchtwang |first=Stephan |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-415-85881-6 |location=New York |page=150}}</ref>

''[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]]'' is a Chinese cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential, the oneness before duality, from which yin and yang originate. It can be contrasted with the older ''[[Wuji (philosophy)|wuji]]'' ({{zhi|t=無極|l=without pole}}). In the cosmology pertaining to yin and yang, the material energy which this universe was created from is known as ''[[qi]]''. It is believed that the organization of qi in this cosmology of yin and yang is the  formation of the 10 thousand things between Heaven and Earth.<ref>Feuchtwang, Sephan. "Chinese Religions." Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations, Third ed., Routledge, 2016, pp. 150–151.</ref> Included among these forms are humans. Many natural [[Dualistic cosmology|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, as a [[unity of opposite]]s, lies at the origins of many branches of classical [[History of science and technology in China|Chinese science]], [[Science and technology in China|technology]] and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of [[traditional Chinese medicine]],<ref name=Porkert1974>{{cite book |author-last1=Porkert |author-first1=Manfred |title=The Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine |publisher=MIT Press |year=1974 |isbn=0-262-16058-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/theoreticalfound00pork}}</ref> and a central principle of different forms of [[Chinese martial arts]] and exercise, such as [[baguazhang]], [[tai chi]], [[daoyin]], [[kung fu]] and [[qigong]], as well as appearing in the pages of the ''[[I Ching]]'' and the famous Taoist medical treatise called the ''[[Huangdi Neijing]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Field |first=Tiffany |date=2011-08-01 |title=Tai Chi research review |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1744388110000824 |journal=Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=141–146 |doi=10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.10.002 |pmid=21742279 |issn=1744-3881|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

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]] ({{circa}} 2nd century BC), a moral dimension is attached to the idea of yin and yang.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor Latener |first=Rodney Leon |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism |volume=2 |publisher=Rosen Publishing Group |year=2005 |page=869 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8239-4079-0}}</ref> The [[Ahom religion|Ahom philosophy]] of [[Dualism (philosophy of mind)|duality]] of the individual self ''han'' and ''pu'' is based on the concept of the [[Hun and po|hun 魂 and po 魄]] that are the yin and yang of the mind in the philosophy of Taoism.<ref name=":10603/116167">{{cite thesis |last=Gogoi |first=Shrutashwinee |date=2011 |title=Tai ahom religion a philosophical study |hdl=10603/116167 |type=PhD |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/116167}}</ref>{{rp|page=vii}} The tradition was originated in [[Yunnan]],  [[China]] and followed by some [[Ahom people|Ahom]], descendants of the [[Dai people|Dai ethnic minority]].<ref name=":10603/116167" />{{rp|page=203}}

== Linguistic aspects ==
=== Characters ===
[[File:Yin yang (Chinese characters).svg|thumb|upright=0.7|{{zhi|p=Yīnyáng}} in [[seal script]] (top), as well as traditional (middle) and simplified (bottom) character forms]]
The [[Chinese characters]] {{linktext|lang=zh-hant|陰}} and {{linktext|lang=zh-hant|陽}} are both [[phono-semantic compounds]], with semantic component {{linktext|lang=zh-hant|阝}} [[Radical 170|'mound', 'hill']], a graphical variant of {{linktext|lang=zh|阜}}—with the phonetic components {{zhi|t=今|p=jīn}} (and the added semantic component {{zhi|t=云|p=yún|l=cloud}}) and {{zhi|t=昜|p=yáng}}.<ref name="Zidian">{{cite dictionary |script-title=zh:汉语大字典 |trans-title=Hanyu Da Zidian |title-link=Hanyu Da Zidian |publisher=Hubei cishu chubanshe |place=Chengdu |date=1986–1989 |isbn=7-80543-001-2 |language=zh}}</ref>{{rp|4138, 4114}} In the latter, {{zhi|t=昜|p=yáng|l=bright}} features {{zhi|t=日|l=the Sun}} + {{zhi|t=示}} + {{zhi|t=彡|l=sunbeam}}.<ref name=Zidian />{{rp|4144, 1499}}

=== Pronunciations and etymologies ===
The [[Standard Chinese]] pronunciation of {{zhi|t=陰}} is usually the level first [[Four tones|tone]] as {{zhi|p=yīn}} with the meaning {{zhi|l=shady,cloudy}}, or sometimes with the falling fourth tone as {{zhi|p=yìn}} with the distinct meaning {{zhi|l=to shelter,shade}}. {{zhi|c=陽|l=sunny}} is always pronounced with the rising second tone as {{zhi|p=yáng}}.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

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. {{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Compare these Middle Chinese and Old Chinese{{efn|With an asterisk, to denote unattested forms.}} reconstructions of {{zhi|p=yīn|t=陰}} and {{zhi|p=yáng|t=陽}}:
* {{transliteration|ltc|ˑiəm}} < {{transliteration|och|*ˑiəm}} and {{transliteration|ltc|iang}} < {{transliteration|och|*diang}} ([[Bernhard Karlgren]])<ref>Bernhard Karlgren, ''Grammata Serica Recensa'', Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1957, 173, 188.</ref>
** {{transliteration|ltc|ʔjəm}} and {{transliteration|och|*raŋ}} ([[Li Fang-Kuei]])<ref>Li, Fang-Kuei, "Studies on Archaic Chinese", translated by Gilbert L. Mattos, ''Monumenta Serica'' 31, 1974:219–287.</ref>
* {{transliteration|ltc|ʔ(r)jum}} and {{transliteration|och|*ljang}} ([[William H. Baxter]])<ref>William H. Baxter, ''A Handbook of Old Chinese Phonology'', Mouton de Gruyter ,1992.</ref>
* {{transliteration|ltc|ʔjəm}} < {{transliteration|och|*ʔəm}} and {{transliteration|ltc|jiaŋ}} < {{transliteration|och|*laŋ}} (Axel Schuessler)<ref>Schuessler, Axel, ''ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese'', [[University of Hawaii Press]], 2007, 558, 572.</ref>
* {{transliteration|ltc|im}} < {{transliteration|och|*qrum}} and {{transliteration|ltc|yang}} < {{transliteration|och|*laŋ}} ([[William H. Baxter]] and [[Laurent Sagart]])<ref>Baxter & Sagart (2014), pp. 326–378.</ref>

Schuessler gives probable [[Sino-Tibetan]] etymologies for both Chinese words.

{{transliteration|ltc|yin}} < {{transliteration|och|*ʔəm}} compares with [[Burmese language|Burmese]] {{transliteration|my|ʔum<sup>C</sup>}} 'overcast', 'cloudy', [[Adi language|Adi]] {{transliteration|adi|muk-jum}} 'shade', and [[Lepcha language|Lepcha]] {{transliteration|lep|so'yǔm}} 'shade'; it is probably cognate with Chinese {{transliteration|zh|àn}} < {{transliteration|och|*ʔə̂mʔ}} {{zhi|c=黯|l=dim', 'gloomy'}} and {{transliteration|zh|qīn}} < {{transliteration|och|*khəm}} {{zhi|t=衾|l=blanket}}.

{{transliteration|ltc|yang}} < {{transliteration|och|*laŋ}} compares with Lepcha ''a-lóŋ'' 'reflecting light', Burmese ''laŋ<sup>B</sup>'' 'be bright' and ''ə-laŋ<sup>B</sup>'' 'light'; and is perhaps cognate with Chinese {{transliteration|zh|chāng}} < {{transliteration|och|*k-hlaŋ}} {{zhi|c=昌|l=prosperous', 'bright}} (compare [[Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area|areal]] words like [[Tai languages|Tai]] ''plaŋ<sup>A1</sup>'' 'bright' & Proto-[[Viet-Muong]] ''hlaŋ<sup>B</sup>''). To this word-family, Unger also includes {{zhi|c=炳|p=bǐng}} < {{transliteration|och|*pl(j)aŋʔ}} 'bright';<ref>Ulrich Unger, Hao-ku : Sinologische Rundbriefe, 1986:34</ref> however Schuessler reconstructs {{zhi|c=炳|p=bǐng}}'s Old Chinese pronunciation as {{transliteration|och|*braŋʔ}} and includes it in an [[Austroasiatic]] word family, besides {{zhi|c=亮|p=liàng}} < {{transliteration|och|*raŋh}} {{zhi|c=爽|p=shuǎng}} < {{transliteration|och|*sraŋʔ}} 'twilight of dawn'; {{transliteration|zh|míng}} < {{transliteration|och|*mraŋ}} {{linktext|lang=zh|明}} 'bright', 'become light', 'enlighten'; owing to "the different OC initial consonant which seems to have no recognizable OC morphological function".<ref>Schuessler, Axel, ''ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese'', [[University of Hawaii Press]], 2007. pp. 168, 180, 558.</ref>

=== Meanings ===
''Yin'' and ''yang'' are semantically complex words.

[[John DeFrancis]]'s ''[[ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary]]'' gives the following translation equivalents.<ref>John DeFrancis, ed., ''ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary'', University of Hawaii Press, 2003, 1147, 1108.</ref>
<blockquote>'''Yin''' {{zhi|c=陰}} or {{zhi|c=阴}}—[[Noun]]: ① [philosophy] female/passive/negative principle in nature, ② Surname; [[Bound morpheme]]: ① the moon, ② shaded orientation, ③ covert; concealed; hidden, ④ vagina, ⑤ penis, ⑥ of the netherworld, ⑦ negative, ⑧ north side of a hill, ⑨ south bank of a river, ⑩ reverse side of a stele, ⑪ in intaglio; [[Stative verb]]: ① overcast, ② sinister; treacherous</blockquote>
<blockquote>'''Yang''' {{zhi|c=陽}} or {{zhi|c=阳}}—[[Bound morpheme]]: ① [Chinese philosophy] male/active/positive principle in nature, ② the sun, ③ male genitals, 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</blockquote>

The [[Compound (linguistics)|compound]] ''yinyang'' {{lang|zh-hant|陰陽}} means "yin and yang; opposites; ancient Chinese astronomy; occult arts; astrologer; geomancer; etc."

The sinologist [[Rolf Stein]] glosses Chinese ''yin'' {{lang|zh-hant|陰}} as "shady side (of a mountain)" and ''yang'' {{lang|zh-hant|陽}} as "sunny side (of a mountain)" with the uncommon English geographic terms ''[[wikt:ubac|ubac]]'' "shady side of a mountain" and ''[[wikt:adret|adret]]'' "sunny side of a mountain" (which are of [[List of English words of French origin|French origin]]).<ref>Rolf Stein (2010), ''Rolf Stein's Tibetica Antiqua: With Additional Materials'', Brill, p. 63.</ref>

=== 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CHINESE PLACE NAMES |url=https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/chinalan.htm |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.sjsu.edu}}</ref> For example, ''Yang'' refers to the "south side of a hill" in [[Hengyang]] {{lang|zh|衡陽}}, which is south of [[Mount Heng (Hunan)|Mount Heng]] {{lang|zh|衡山}} in [[Hunan]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hengyang {{!}} Ancient City & Major Industrial Hub {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Hengyang |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> and to the "north bank of a river" in [[Luoyang]] {{lang|zh-hant|洛陽}}, which is located north of the [[Luo River (Henan)|Luo River]] {{lang|zh|洛河}} in [[Henan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Info about Luoyang-国际合作交流中心 |url=https://sites.lynu.edu.cn/gjhz/wjzp/Info_about_Luoyang.htm |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=sites.lynu.edu.cn}}</ref> Similarly, ''yin'' refers to "north side of a hill" in [[Huayin]] {{lang|zh-hant|華陰}}, which is north of [[Mount Hua]] {{lang|zh-hant|華山}} in [[Shaanxi]] province.<ref>{{cite book |first=Zhuqing |last=Li |chapter=Chinese Place Names |pages=179–180 |editor-last=Jiao |editor-first=Liwei |title=The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture |publisher=Routledge |year=2024 |isbn=978-1-315-16780-0}}</ref>

In Japan, the characters are used in western [[Honshu]] to delineate the north-side [[San'in region]] {{lang|ja|山陰}} from the south-side [[San'yō region]] {{lang|ja|山陽}}, separated by the [[Chūgoku Mountains]] {{lang|ja|中国山地}}.

=== Loanwords ===
English ''[[wikt:yin|yin]]'', ''[[wikt:yang|yang]]'', and ''[[wikt:yin-yang|yin-yang]]'' are familiar [[loanwords]] of [[List of English words of Chinese origin|Chinese origin]].

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' defines:
<blockquote>'''yin''' (jɪn) Also '''Yin''', '''Yn'''. &#91;Chinese ''yīn'' shade, feminine; the moon.&#93;
'''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. </blockquote>
<blockquote>'''yang''' (jæŋ) Also '''Yang'''. &#91;Chinese ''yáng'' yang, sun, positive, male genitals.&#93;
'''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.'''</blockquote>

For the earliest recorded "yin and yang" usages, the ''OED'' cites 1671 for ''yin'' and ''yang'',<ref>[[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."</ref> 1850 for ''yin-yang'',<ref>[[William Jones Boone (son)|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."</ref> and 1959 for ''yang-yin''.<ref>[[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")."</ref>

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'' [[collocation]]s, such as {{lang|zh|洋銀}} ({{lit|foreign silver}}) "silver coin/dollar", but not even the most comprehensive dictionaries (e.g., the ''[[Hanyu Da Cidian]]'') enter ''yangyin'' *{{lang|zh-hant|陽陰}}. While ''yang'' and ''yin'' can occur together in context,<ref>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, {{lang|zh|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).</ref> ''yangyin'' is not synonymous with ''yinyang''. The linguistic term "[[irreversible binomial]]" refers to a collocation of two words A–B that cannot be idiomatically reversed as B–A, for example, English ''cat and mouse'' (not *''mouse and cat'') and ''friend or foe'' (not *''foe or friend'').<ref name="Ames">Roger T. Ames, "''Yin'' and ''Yang''", in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy'', ed. by Antonio S. Cua, Routledge, 2002, 847.</ref>

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'' {{lang|zh|天地}} "heaven and earth" and ''nannü'' {{lang|zh|男女}} "men and women". ''Yinyang'' meaning "dark and light; female and male; moon and sun", 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".<ref name="Ames" />

== History ==
[[Joseph Needham]] discusses yin and yang together with [[Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)|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."<ref name="Science and Civilization" />

He then discusses [[Zou Yan]] ({{lang|zh|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."<ref name="Science and Civilization">Needham, Joseph; Science and Civilization in China Vol.2:  History of Scientific Thought; [[Cambridge University Press]]; 1956</ref>

== Nature ==
Yin and yang are a concept that originated in ancient [[Chinese philosophy]] that describes how opposite or contrary forces may create each other by their comparison and are to be seen as actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.<ref>{{cite web |title=The hidden meanings of yin and yang – John Bellaimey |date=2 August 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezmR9Attpyc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/ezmR9Attpyc |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=2 August 2013 |publisher=TED-Ed}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Xu |first=Guang |title=Chinese Herbal Medicine |publisher=Vermillion |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-09-180944-7 |page=41}}</ref>

In [[Daoist]] philosophy, dark and light, yin and yang, arrive in the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'' at chapter 42.<ref>{{cite web |last=Muller |first=Charles |title=Daode Jing |url=http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/daodejing.html#div-43 |access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref>

It is impossible to talk about yin or yang without some reference to the opposite, traditionally it is said that Yin and Yang are known by the comparison of each other, since yin and yang are bound together as parts of a [[non-wellfounded mereology|mutual whole]] (for example, there cannot 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 women or only men; this race would disappear in a single generation. Yet, women and men 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 humans, as the interaction of heaven and earth establishes harmony (''he''), giving birth to things.<ref>Robin R. Wang {{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/yinyang/ |title=Yinyang (Yin-yang) |encyclopedia=[[Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref>

== Modern usage ==
Yin is the black side, and yang is the white side. Other color arrangements have included the white of yang being replaced by red.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=The World Book Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Scott Fetzer Company]] |year=2003 |isbn=0-7166-0103-6 |edition= |volume=19 |location=Chicago |page=36 |oclc=50204221}}</ref> The taijitu is sometimes accompanied by other shapes,<ref name=":05">{{Cite book |last1=Carrasco |first1=David |title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions |last2=Warmind |first2=Morten |last3=Hawley |first3=John Stratton |last4=Reynolds |first4=Frank |last5=Giarardot |first5=Norman |last6=Neusner |first6=Jacob |last7=Pelikan |first7=Jaroslav |last8=Campo |first8=Juan |last9=Penner |first9=Hans |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |editor=[[Wendy Doniger]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-87779-044-0 |location=United States |page=495 |language=en |author-link=David Carrasco |author-link6=Jacob Neusner |author-link7=Jaroslav Pelikan}}</ref> such as [[bagua]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":05" />

In turn, the concepts are also applied to the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine, one's health is directly related to the balance between yin and yang qualities within them.<ref>Li CL. A brief outline of Chinese medical history with particular reference to acupuncture. Perspect Biol Med. 1974 Autumn;18(1):132–143.</ref> The technology of yin and yang is the foundation of [[Critical thinking|critical]] and [[deductive]] reasoning for effective differential diagnosis of disease and illnesses within Taoist influenced [[Eight principles|traditional Chinese medicine]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ching |first1=Nigel |title=The art and practice of diagnosis in Chinese medicine |last2=Halpin |first2=Jeremy |date=2017 |publisher=Singing Dragon |isbn=978-0-85701-267-8 |location=London Philadelphia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Traditional Chinese medicine: theory and principles |date=2016 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-041766-1 |editor-last=Hu |editor-first=Dongpei |location=Berlin Boston}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Seem |first=Dr. Mark |title=Acupuncture Energetics A Workbook for Diagnostics and Treatment |publisher=Inner Traditions/Bear |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-89281-435-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Acupuncture Therapeutics |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85701-018-6 |page=23}}</ref>

=== ''Taijitu'' ===
{{Main|Taijitu}}
[[File:Yin and Yang symbol.svg|thumb|The ''[[taijitu]]'']]

The principle of yin and yang is represented 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 [[Notitia Dignitatum#Depictions|Roman shield markings]].<ref name="Giovanni Monastra (2000)">Giovanni Monastra: "{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110925054740/http://www.estovest.net/tradizione/yinyang_en.html The "Yin–Yang" among the Insignia of the Roman Empire?]}}," "Sophia," Vol. 6, No. 2 (2000)</ref><ref name="Late Roman Shield Patterns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda-sarson/MagisterPeditum.html |title=Late Roman Shield Patterns – Magister Peditum |work=www.ne.jp}}</ref><ref name="Helmut Nickel (1992), 146, 5">Helmut Nickel: "The Dragon and the Pearl," ''Metropolitan Museum Journal,'' Vol. 26 (1991), p. 146, fn. 5</ref>

In this symbol the two teardrops swirl to represent the conversion of yin to yang and yang to yin. This is seen when a ball is thrown into the air with a yang velocity then converts to a yin velocity to fall back to earth. The two teardrops are opposite in direction to each other to show that as one increases the other decreases. The dot of the opposite field in the tear drop shows that there is always yin within yang and always yang within yin.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=Kevin |title=Introduction to the Theory of Yin-Yang |publisher=Independent |year=2020 |isbn=979-8-6678-6786-9 |location= |pages=}}{{page needed|date=October 2022}}</ref>

=== Tai chi ===
{{Main|Tai chi}}
Tai chi, 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 tai chi (''taijiquan'') as follows:

{{blockquote|Various people have offered different explanations for the name ''Taijiquan''. Some have said: – 'In terms of [[meditation|self-cultivation]], one must train from a state of movement towards a state of stillness. ''[[Taiji (philosophy)|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 [[I Ching|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{{Wg-apos}}ai Chi Ch{{Wg-apos}}üan<ref>{{cite journal |last=Woolidge |first=Doug |title=The International Magazine of T{{Wg-apos}}ai Chi Ch{{Wg-apos}}üan |volume=21 |issue=3 |journal=Tʻai Chi |publisher=Wayfarer Publications |date=June 1997 |issn=0730-1049}}</ref>}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|China}}
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Ayin and Yesh]]
* [[Dialectic]]
* [[Dualistic cosmology]]
** [[Shatkona]]
* [[Enantiodromia]]
* [[Flag of Mongolia]]
* [[Flag of South Korea]]
* [[Flag of Tibet]]
* [[Fu Xi]]
* [[Gankyil]]
* ''[[Huangdi Neijing]]''
* [[Ometeotl]]
* [[Onmyōdō]]
* [[Seny]] and Rauxa
* [[Taegeuk]]
* [[Tai chi]]
* [[Tomoe]]
* ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]''
{{Div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
=== Footnotes ===
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first1=William H. |last1=Baxter |first2=Laurent |last2=Sagart |title=Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-994537-5}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
<!-- ATTENTION! Please do not add links without discussion and consensus on the talk page. Undiscussed links will be removed. -->
{{Commons category|Taijitu|Yin Yang}}
{{Wiktionary|yin|yang|yin-yang}}
* {{cite web |url=https://iep.utm.edu/yinyang/ |title=Yinyang (Yin-yang) |author=Robin R. Wang |website=Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}

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{{Traditional Chinese medicine}}

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