What culture group believes there is a balance of two energy forces the yin and yang?

Yin and yang (or yin-yang) is a complex relational concept in Chinese culture that has developed over thousands of years. Briefly put, the meaning of yin and yang is that the universe is governed by a cosmic duality, sets of two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature.

• The yin-yang philosophy says that the universe is composed of competing and complementary forces of dark and light, sun and moon, male and female. 
• The philosophy is at least 3,500 years old, discussed in the ninth-century BCE text known as I Ching or Book of Changes, and influences the philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism.
• The yin-yang symbol is related to the ancient method used to track the movements of the sun, moon, and stars around the year. 

Generally speaking, yin is characterized as an inward energy that is feminine, still, dark, and negative. On the other hand, yang is characterized as outward energy, masculine, hot, bright, and positive. 

Yin and yang elements come in pairs—such as the moon and the sun, female and male, dark and bright, cold and hot, passive and active, and so on—but note that yin and yang are not static or mutually exclusive terms. While the world is composed of many different, sometimes opposing, forces, these can coexist and even complement each other. Sometimes, forces opposite in nature even rely on one another to exist. The nature of yin-yang lies in the interchange and interplay of the two components. The alternation of day and night is just such an example: there cannot be a shadow without light. 

The balance of yin and yang is important. If yin is stronger, yang will be weaker, and vice versa. Yin and yang can interchange under certain conditions so that they are usually not yin and yang alone. In other words, yin elements can contain certain parts of yang, and yang can have some components of yin. This balance of yin and yang is perceived to exist in everything.

The yin-yang symbol (also known as the Tai Chi symbol) consists of a circle divided into two halves by a curved line. One half of the circle is black, typically representing the yin side; the other is white, for the yang side. A dot of each color is situated near the center of the other's half. The two halves are thus intertwining across a spiral-like curve that splits the whole into semicircles, and the small dots represent the idea that both sides carry the seed of the other. 

The white dot in the black area and the black dot in the white area connote coexistence and unity of opposites to form a whole. The curvy line signifies that there are no absolute separations between the two opposites. The yin-yang symbol, then, embodies both sides: duality, paradox, unity in diversity, change, and harmony.

The concept of yin-yang has a long history. There are many written records about yin and yang, some dating back to the Yin dynasty (about 1400–1100 BCE) and the Western Zhou dynasty (1100–771 BCE).

The oldest records of the yin-yang principle are found in the Zhouyi, also called the I Ching or Book of Changes, which was written by King Wen in the 9th century BCE during the Western Zhou dynasty.

The Jing portion of Zhouyi particularly talks about the flow of yin and yang in nature. The concept became increasingly popular during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BCE) and the Warring States Period (475–221 BCE) in ancient Chinese history.

The idea has influenced thousands of years of Chinese philosophers, including scholars associated with Taoism such as Lao Tzu (571–447 BCE) and Confucianism such as Confucius himself (557–479 BCE). It underlies Asian martial arts, medicine, science, literature, politics, daily behavior, beliefs, and intellectual pursuits. 

The origin of the yin-yang symbol is found in the ancient Chinese time-keeping system of using a pole to measure the changing lengths of shadows over the solar year; it was invented in China at least as long ago as 600 BCE. In fact, some have suggested that the yin-yang symbol closely approximates a graphical representation of the daily change of a pole's shadow length during the year. Yang begins at the winter solstice and indicates the beginning of the period when daylight dominates over darkness and thus is associated with the sun. The yin begins at the summer solstice and represents the dominance of darkness over daylight and is associated with the moon. 

Yin-yang also represents the observation of the shadow of the earth on the moon, and the record of the position of the Big Dipper constellation through the year. These observations make up the four points of the compass: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the direction of the shortest shadow measured is south, and at night, the pole star points north. 

Thus, yin and yang are fundamentally connected with the annual cycle of the earth around the sun and the resulting four seasons.  

The principles of yin and yang are an important part of Huangdi Neijing or Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine. Written about 2,000 years ago, it is the earliest Chinese medical book. It is believed that to be healthy, one needs to balance the yin and yang forces within one's own body.

Yin and yang are still important today in traditional Chinese medicine and Feng Shui.

Just like rationalism forms the basis for Western medicine, the Taoist philosophy of yin-yang forms the basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). While many people have heard the term yin-yang or know it's famous symbol, few understand what yin-yang truly is, and even fewer people outside of our Florida acupuncture school know how it relates to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The typical yin-yang sign shows the interconnected duality of opposite forces.

In Chinese philosophy, Yin-yang, which translates into “dark-bright,” describes the notion that everything in nature consists of two paradoxical phases or energies. 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the concept of Yin and Yang serves as the foundation for understanding health, as well as diagnosing and treating illnesses. Yin-yang is first referenced in the I Ching (Book of Changes), which was written around 700BC. According to it, all phenomena is composed of two opposite, but mutually interconnected forces, known as yin and yang.

An ancient representation of yin-yang.

The dual relationship of Ying and Yang demonstrates that everything in the universe exists as connected and complementary, yet opposite elements. The table below demonstrates many of these relationships.

To better understand the concepts of Yin and Yang, it helps to know about their Four Aspects. The Four Aspects describe the relationship between Yin-Yang. Yin and Yang are simultaneously:

1. Opposites- Yin and Yang are Opposites. A common yin and yang relationship is day and night. While opposites, they can only be understood as a relationship. For example, Darkness is relative to Ying, while Yang is relative to Light. The balance between the two is always shifting and progressing in a cyclical fashion.

2. Interdependent- While opposite, Yin and Yang are interdependent. One cannot exist without the other. Yin and Yang are mutually dependent on each other. One cannot exist without the other. Everything that has yin, must have yang, and vice versa.

3. Mutually Transformative-Yin and yang are constantly in a state of flux and affect each other. If one changes, the other follows. Nature, by definition, cannot be static. Just as a state of total Yin is reached, Yang begins to grow. For Example: tthere is no day without night.

4. Mutually Consuming-Yin and Yang are naturally balanced, but are continuously changing. The change is typically harmonious, but can become imbalanced. There are four possible states of imbalance:

The Four States of Imbalance:

1. Excess of Yin

2. Excess of Yang

3. Deficiency of Yin

4. Deficiency of Yang

In terms of the human body, yin is associated with the lower parts of the body, while yang is associated with the upper body and back. Given yin and yang’s interconnectivity, diseases are not seen as entities separate from the body, but instead are understood as states of yin and yang imbalance.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this interconnectivity is understood as a group of four opposites, collectively known as the Eight Principles. The table below shows the inverse relationship of yin-yang.

Yin and yang are in constant flux. If one becomes unbalanced in the body, illness occurs. For example, since yin is cold, an excess of yin can cause illnesses such as insomnia and dry-mouth. Conversely, a yang deficiency can cause cold limbs and a sickly-complexion. Good health then, is maintained by balancing yin and yang.

How yin and yang is manifested within the body.

While the change of yin and yang may seem random, they actual follow a pattern known Xu Xing or the Five Phases, which shows how and when yin will shift to yang and vice versa. Typically, Xu Xing is used to describe the change of seasons and states of elements. For example, Spring giving rise to Early Summer, which turns into Late Summer, which then becomes Fall, then Winter, then Spring again.

Xu Xing of the Five Elements

In terms of the human body, the organs follow a similar Wu-Xing pattern, called Zang-Fu. Zang refers to organs that are yin in nature. They are the pericardium, heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidneys. Fu refers to organs that are yang. They are the triple burner, small intestine, large intestine, gall bladder, urinary bladder, and stomach. Each zang has a fu, and every zang-fu pair corresponds to one of the five phases. The diagram below better explains this relationship.

The chart below shows the analogous relationships between the Xu Xing and Zang-fu organs. 

The purpose of the Zang-fu Organs is to produce the Five Vital Substances, which are the five building blocks of life: Qi, Xue (Blood), Jinye (Body Fluids), Jing (Essence), and Shen (Spirit).

The Vital Substances will be described in more thorough detail in an upcoming article. For now, the importance is to demonstrate how the concept of yin-yang serves as the philosophical foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

If learning about the relationship between yin-yang and the human body interests you, then perhaps you should consider a career in Oriental Medicine and acupuncture. Download our career guide below and check out our main program page.

Acupuncture and Massage College was the first acupuncture school in Florida and is located at 10506 N Kendall Dr, Miami, FL, 33176. To request more information, call us at (305)595-9500 or email admissions at .