What Is the Yin-Yang?

The taijitu represents the concept of the balancing forces of yin and yang in Taoist belief.

The concept of yin-yang, the two forces that shape and control the universe, is integral to Taoist Chinese philosophy. These two forces represent light and dark, positive and negative, day and night. They exist equal and opposite one another. As a martial arts practitioner, for example, the concept of yin-yang could represent the need for attacking and defending, or using hard and soft styles. The two forces are interconnected, and all aspects of life and nature contain them to some degree.

Origins

The concept of yin-yang first was mentioned more than 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty of China. According to Richard Hooker, a professor of Chinese philosophy at Washington State University, the Han philosophers had derived most of the basis of their work from the I Ching, or book of Changes. The premise of the I Ching was an attempt to explain the workings of the universe based on the interaction of yin and yang, each of which contained two of the Five Essentials--the five elements. Yin contained Wood and Water, and Yang contained Metal and Fire. The balance point was Earth.

Symbol

The symbol that represents yin-yang, the taijitu, consists of a circle divided into two black and white swirls that intersect with one another. Each section contains a small circle of the opposite color inside it. This represents the concept that all aspects of nature are born from their opposite, if only by being expressed as a principle. For example, darkness is the absence of light.

Misconceptions

Yin-yang commonly is explained as representing good and evil. However, classical Taoist philosophy doesn't give any morality to the concept--Confucian philosophy placed yin as good and yang as evil. As the two aspects of the Tao, or universe, yin-yang exists independently of morality in Taoist belief.

Yin and Yang in Martial Arts

Two broad classes of martial arts exist embodying yin and yang. Yin, or soft, martial arts rely on circular motions and redirection of energy to use as a counterattack. Examples of soft martial arts include tai chi chuan, judo and aikido. Yang, or hard, martial arts rely on linear motions and the direct opposition of force with your own force. Examples of hard martial arts include karate, Muay Thai kickboxing and Tiger-style kung fu. In martial arts, using a soft defense against a hard attack conserves your energy. Conversely, using a hard defense against a soft attack overwhelms your opponent.

The Eight Trigrams

The eight trigrams, Ba Gua, represent a more complex interaction of yin and yang to create the eight components of the universe in Taoist belief. Yang is represented as a solid line, whereas yin is a broken line. A trigram consists of a combination of three broken or solid lines. There are eight possible trigrams. Each represents a different concentration of yin or yang. The eight trigrams traditionally are drawn around a taijitu and are opposite their opposite components: heaven/earth, lake/mountain, fire/water, and thunder/wind.

References

• Washington State University: Yin-Yang