The Concept of the Yin and Yang; The Balance of life
“there can be no light without darkness.”
According to Chinese theory, yin and yang are the two complementary forces in the universe. The yin yang translates to bright-black and is a concept of dualism. There are two sides to everything; good and bad, light and darkness, female and male. The yin yang shows how opposing forces are much connected and complement each other. Life is made possible by the fusion of two energies. The Yin yang is the symbol of Taoism. The yin yang is perchance the most documented concept in Taoism. The symbol for Yin Yang is called the Taijitu.
The yin represents the feminine, darkness, passive power, rain, softness, black, earth, bad, cold, wet and is associated with nighttime, water, earth and moon element. On the other hand, the yang represents masculinity, light, active power, hard, light, good, fast, hard, solid, focused, hot and dry, and associated with the sun and daytime. For there to be harmony, balance must exist amongst the yin and yang.
According to philosophy, everything has both yin and yang. However, one manifests powerful than the other. As one increases in power, the other decreases in power.
The Yin yang is associated with Chinese medicine, gender roles, and physical well-being, food.
WHAT DOES THE YIN YANG LOOK LIKE?
It is a complete circle made up of two halves that intertwine like a spiral curve. The yin is the black half with a seed of the yang. The yang is the white half with a seed of the yin. The small dots connote the fact that the yin and the yang both have a quota of each. Nothing can be horrible and perfect at the same time. The spiral curve connotes that both sides cannot be separated from each other, and so, they are inseparable. Yet, contradictory opposites
The yin yang goes beyond just maintaining balance. Although balance is essential, the yin can turn into the yang and the yang likewise. The best things in life lie in harnessing and understanding the confluence of the two.
Yin yang is about seeing the bad and good in everything and not just accepting a particular side but rather, accepting the contrast of life. None is superior to the other.
No one can tell the complete story behind the yin yang. No one knows the yin yang inside out. It is indeed the most unfathomable culture of the Chinese.
This article was not written based solely on my intellect. In-depth research was conducted from Oxford Reference, Chenot Wellness Team, Culture trip, ThoughtCo., YINOVA, and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
What are your thoughts on the taijitu?
