Yin and yang
Yin and yang is a fundamental principle in Chinese culture and philosophy, representing the duality of opposites that complement and attract each other. The concept is visually depicted by the well-known symbol, a circle divided into black and white sections, each containing a dot of the opposite color. This imagery illustrates that within each element lies the seed of its counterpart, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things. Originating in the third century B.C.E., the theory of yin and yang explores the dynamic balance between opposing forces and has influenced various fields, including astronomy and traditional medicine.
In traditional Chinese medicine, organs are categorized by their yin (substance) and yang (function) attributes, and health is viewed as a balance between these forces. An imbalance can lead to physical or emotional disorders, underscoring the necessity of harmony for well-being. The concept also extends to cosmology and myth, where yin and yang are seen as integral to the universe's creation and function. This principle has permeated other cultures, notably in Japan, indicating its broader significance beyond Chinese philosophy. Overall, yin and yang provide a lens through which to understand balance in nature, human life, and health.
Yin and yang
Yin and yang is a principle of Chinese culture and philosophy. It has been important in a number of fields, including astronomy and medicine. At its most basic, yin and yang refers to opposites, which both attract and complement one another.
The symbol of yin and yang is a circle divided into two equal sections, one black and one white, creating identical shapes that resemble nestled, curved droplets. The black section is highlighted by a white dot, while the white section contains a black dot. Neither side can become larger without reducing the other.
The terms yin and yang refer to the two elements of the concept, which describes the ebb and flow of life and the universe and the necessary harmony and balance of all things. Because the border between the two is curved, no matter how the circle is bisected, each half will always contain both yin and yang.
Origin and Meaning
The yin and yang concept arose during the third century B.C.E. During this time, the Chinese school of Yinyang studied cosmology, or the origins of the universe, and philosophy. Numbers were a central element of these studies. Zou Yan (circa 305–240 B.C.E.) was the chief advocate of the yin and yang theory. He believed that life proceeds through five phases, or wuxing: earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. These phases follow the concept of yin and yang. The yin and yang idea later traveled to Japan, where it was vitally important as a tool for government for a time and remains part of the culture.
The black side, yin, is feminine and encompasses many traits, including cold, dark, earth, even numbers, north, old, moon (which includes the goddess Changxi and weakness), passive, poor, soft, water/transformation, and valleys. Yin provides everything with spirit and is most powerful at the winter solstice. In addition to being represented in the yin and yang circle, yin is also illustrated as a broken line in the I Ching (an ancient divination guide), the color orange, or a tiger.
The white side, yang, is masculine. Its traits include active, fire/creativity, hard, heaven, light, mountains, odd numbers, rich, south, sun (which includes the god Xihe and strength), warm, and young. Yang, which provides everything with form, is strongest at the summer solstice. Yang is also illustrated as a solid line in the I Ching, the color blue, or a dragon.
The earliest Chinese characters representing yin and yang, from the fourteenth century BCE, describe weather conditions and the movement of the sun. Yang refers to movement and the work done during the day, such as tending the fields and animals; yin points to the night, when peasants rested.
Applications and Significance
Yin and yang are at the same time both concepts, such as the seasons, and concrete things, such as the sun and moon.
To follow with the order and patterns of the universe in harmony is shun and results in prosperity; to be in conflict with it is ni and brings about destruction. When yin and yang are unbalanced, according to the I Ching, the world may experience natural disasters.
Yin and yang are qi, or vital energy. In humans, the qi of yin and yang manifest as emotions, while in the cosmos it is measured in terms of temperature.
According to Chinese mythology, yin and yang were created during the birth of the universe and live at Earth's center. The first human, Pangu, was born because of the harmony of yin and yang in the cosmic egg, as were the first gods. Heaven and earth divided into yin and yang. Human life came to be when the two qi worked together and achieved harmony.
Yin and Yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine
In terms of traditional Chinese medicine, the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, and spleen—all organs regarded as performing a storage function—are yin. The gallbladder, small and large intestines, stomach, urinary bladder, and triple burner (which comprises the three regions of the trunk) are yang, or body parts related to moving and transforming, such as by digestion. However, each organ also has both yin (substance) and yang (function) aspects. General body pairs include interior (yin) and exterior (yang) and front (yin) and back (yang).
In Chinese medicine, imbalances are categorized in terms of excess, deficiency, hot, and cold. Excess disorders are caused by overactivity, and deficiency disorders are caused by underactivity. An excess of yin can affect yang and result in cold and excess disorders. An overactive yang can result in hot and excess disorders. A deficiency of yin is not the same as an excess of yang, however. A lack of yin leads to a hot and deficiency disorder, and a lack of yang results in a cold and deficiency disorder.
Diagnosing a patient's problems requires the practitioner to determine whether it is caused by a surplus or deficiency, and whether yin or yang is out of balance. Failing to determine these factors could create greater imbalance and even more medical problems.
Chinese astrology may be applied to medicine through a complicated series of calculations using the Chinese lunar calendar. It is based on a twelve-year cycle of animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. At its most simple, yin and yang are paired with the wuxing using the final numeral in the lunar year: 0, yang, metal; 1, yin, metal; 2, yang, water; 3, yin, water; 4, yang, wood; 5, yin, wood; 6, yang, fire; 7, yin, fire; 8, yang, earth; and 9, yin, earth.
The animals are also paired in turn with yin and yang and the wuxing—for example, a water dragon, fire rooster, metal tiger, etc.—resulting in a sixty-year cycle.
Bibliography
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