What is the Story behind Yin and Yang?

Question

What is the story behind yin and yang. I know there is a story about it but I cant seem to find it all I know is: Yang (masculin) represents light, dryness and heat.
And Yin (feminine) represents darkness, coldness, and wetness.

Answer 1

The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; pinyin: yīnyáng; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: Âm-Dương; Japanese: 陰陽, in'yō/onmyō; Thai: หยิน หยาง or อิม เอี้ยง) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Yin, the darker element, is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night; yang, the brighter element, is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day; yin is often symbolized by water, while yang is symbolized by fire.

The pair probably goes back to ancient agrarian religion; it exists in Confucianism, and it is prominent in Taoism. Though the words yin and yang only appear once in the Tao Te Ching, the book is laden with examples and clarifications of the concept of mutual arising. The concept is a fundamental principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Yin and yang are descriptions of complementary opposites rather than absolutes. Any yin/yang dichotomy can be seen as its opposite when viewed from another perspective. The categorisation is seen as one of convenience. Most forces in nature can be broken down into their respective yin and yang states, and the two are usually in movement rather than held in absolute stasis.

Meaning of terms

The meaning of the characters for yin and yang, necessarily, has more than just one connotation. Because yang means "sunny", it corresponds to the day and more active functions, whereas yin, meaning "shady", corresponds to night and dormancy. Yin and yang can be compared in the chart to the right.

It is also possible to look at yin and yang with respect to the flow of time. Noon, is full yang, sunset is yang turning to yin; midnight is full yin and sunrise is yin turning to yang. This flow of time can also be expressed in seasonal changes and directions. South and Summer are full yang; West and Autumn are yang turning to yin; North and Winter are full yin, and East and Spring are yin turning over to yang. The major and minor numbers for Yin and Yang both total up to 15.

Yin and yang are often used in reference to disease, and many Asian cultures treat the hot/cold or wet/dry diseases with opposite treatments. For example, a yin symptom such as coldness would be treated with yang treatments, such as hot foods. A yang symptom such as nervousness would be treated with yin treatments- cold foods such as fruits.

Yin and yang can also be seen as a process of transformation which describes the changes between the phases of a cycle. For example, cold water (yin) can be boiled and eventually turn into steam (yang).

One way to write the symbols for yin and yang are a solid line (yang) and a broken line (yin) which could be divided into the four stages of yin and yang and further divided into the eight trigrams (these trigrams are used on the South Korean flag). The symbol shown at the top righthand corner of this page, called Taijitu (太極圖), is another way to show yin and yang. The mostly white portion, being brighter, is yang and the mostly dark portion, being dim, is yin. Each, however, contains the seed of its opposite. Yin and yang are equally important, unlike the typical dualism of good and evil.

One possible derivation for the Tajitu symbol is as a sort of calendar. Ancient Chinese scholars would place an 8 foot pole in the ground and measure the position of the shadow at different points in the year. The top of the symbol shows the summer solstice, where the shadow is shortest, and the bottom winter, where the shadow is longest. The positions of the two dots mark the solstices, the point of the year at which yin begins to give way to yang and vice versa.

The concept is called yin yang, not yang yin, just because the former has a preferred pronunciation in Chinese (see Standard Mandarin - Tones for detail), and the word order has no cultural or philosophical meaning.

Principles

Everything can be described as both yin and yang.

1. Yin and yang are opposites.

Everything has its opposite—although this is never absolute, only relative. No one thing is completely yin or completely yang. Each contains the seed of its opposite. For example, winter can turn into summer; "what goes up must come down".

2. Yin and yang are interdependent.

One cannot exist without the other. For example, day cannot exist without night. Light cannot exist without darkness.

3. Yin and yang can be further subdivided into yin and yang.

Any yin or yang aspect can be further subdivided into yin and yang. For example, temperature can be seen as either hot or cold. However, hot can be further divided into warm or burning; cold into cool or icy. Within each spectrum, there is a smaller spectrum; every beginning is a moment in time, and has a beginning and end, just as every hour has a beginning and end.

4. Yin and yang consume and support each other.

Yin and yang are usually held in balance—as one increases, the other decreases. However, imbalances can occur. There are four possible imbalances: Excess yin, excess yang, yin deficiency, and yang deficiency. During the switch to Daylight saving time, for example, there is more 'yin' than 'yang'. They can again be seen as a pair: by excess of yin there is a yang deficiency and vice versa. The imbalance is also a relative factor: the excess of yang "forces" yin to be more "concentrated".

5. Yin and yang can transform into one another.

At a particular stage, yin can transform into yang and vice versa. For example, night changes into day; warmth cools; life changes to death. However this transformation is relative too. Night and day coexist on Earth at the same time when shown from space.

6. Part of yin is in yang and part of yang is in yin.

The dots in each serve:
as a reminder that there are always traces of one in the other. For example, there is always light within the dark (e.g., the stars at night); these qualities are never completely one or the other.
as a reminder that absolute extreme side transforms instantly into the opposite, or that the labels yin and yang are conditioned by an observer's point of view. For example, the hardest stone is easiest to break. This can show that absolute discrimination between the two is artificial.

Answer 2

According to Chinese Myths:
In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness and one eggshaped chaos. (sort of the big bang theory with an egg) The egg was produced by the mingling of Yin (female opposing universal force) and Yang (male opposing universal force)

In the darkness Pan Gu was born by maturing in the egg for 18,000 years until it burs open. (big bang theory again) The light (white) of the egg Yang floated upwards forming heaven while the heavy (dark) parts stayed down and formed the earth. Yin. Pan Gu then put heaven on his shoulders and for 18,000 more years slowly stood up seperating Heaven and earth an fixing them in their present locations.

Pan Gu was the first organ doner after he died from all the heavy lifting. His voice became thunder, blood all the rivers, lakes and oceans, one eye the moon the other the sun, and the rest made up all the universe and basic building blocks of earth.

This story sounds a bit familiar though it is a myth.

Answer 3

Yin, female energy, and Yang, male energy, are the two dynamics of the MIND. Yin energy is ingoing, and Yang energy is outgoing. Neither has anything to do with one's gender. They are aspects of Karma, and are the opposites of any action. Both must be experienced when either is engaged in as an action. They are the two sides of a MINDline, and each must be experienced to complete the MINDline. Upon completion of a MINDline, that experiential totality is transferred to the Apapsyche (operating energy of the Soul) as Knowledge. This advances one's Spiritual evolution.

Answer 4

Yin & Yang is an ancient Chinese philosophy that explains changes in the universe as the actions of two complimentary opposite forces, which are cyclical.
"This cyclical nature of yin and yang, the opposing forces of change in the universe, mean several things. First, that all phenomena change into their opposites in an eternal cycle of reversal. Second, since the one principle produces the other, all phenomena have within them the seeds of their opposite state, that is, sickness has the seeds of health, health contains the seeds of sickness, wealth contains the seeds of poverty, etc. Third, even though an opposite may not be seen to be present, since one principle produces the other, no phenomenon is completely devoid of its opposite state. One is never really healthy since health contains the principle of its opposite, sickness. This is called 'presence in absence.'"

Answer 5

Yin and Yang are opposites the are light and dark, male and female, high and low they create balance.

Answer 6

The story is from the old chinise legend of the dragon Pangu. He is supposed to be the creator of the earth. He came from an oval shaped smoke. The legend says that he took yin and he made her the sky he took yan and made him the land and ocean. He streched them as far apart as he thought was right. When he died he made all the rivers and mountains in the world.
-water

Answer 7

During 207 B.C.- 9 A.D., the early Han dynasty devoted itself to homogenizing Chinese culture and philosophy. Towards this end, thinkers of those times attempted to combine all the rival schools of thought into a single system termed as the Han synthesis.

Han philosophers concentrated specifically on the Five Classics, attempting to derive from them, especially from the I ching, or Book of Changes, the principle of the workings of the universe, which is also called Tao or Great Ultimate. Tao explains the metaphysical workings of the entire universe and is the origin of the Five Agents school of Chinese thought or the YIN -YANG. The workings of Yin and Yang and the progress of the five material agents or wu hsing can explain each and every change that takes place in the universe. It can be it related to nature, the human body, human psychology, the finer arts, historical or political changes, scientific findings or natural calamities. The principle of Yin and Yang is the foundation of the entire universe. It underlies everything in creation. It brings about the development of parenthood and is also the root and source of life and death.

Yin originally meant "shady, secret, dark, mysterious, cold.” Yang, in turn meant, "clear, bright, the sun, heat," the opposite of Yin. From these basic opposites, a complete system of opposites was elaborated. Fundamentally, where Yin represents everything about the world that is dark, hidden, passive, receptive, yielding, cool, soft, and feminine. Yang represents everything about the world that is illuminated, evident, active, aggressive, controlling, hot, hard, and masculine. Everything in the world can be identified with either Yin or Yang. Earth is the ultimate Yin object. Heaven is the ultimate Yang object. Of the two basic Chinese "ways," Confucianism is identified with Yang and Taoism Yin. Yin and Yang oppose one another in their actions; every phenomenon that occurs in the universe can be reduced to one of these opposite forces.

Where Yang stands for peace and tranquility; Yin stands for chaos and turbulence.

Yang stands for destruction; Yin, for preservation.

Yang brings about disintegration; Yin creates

Water is an embodiment of Yin; fire is an embodiment of Yang.

Each of these opposite forces has the potential to produce the other; the concept of creation occurs under the principle of Yang, the completion of the created thing occurs under Yin, and vice versa. This production of Yin from Yang and Yang from Yin occurs cyclically and constantly, so that neither Yin nor Yang is continually predominant over the other. Every phenomenon or state, and its opposite that we experience, be it poverty and abundance, sickness and health, success and failure can be explained with reference to the transient precedence of one principle over the other. Since neither of the two, Yin or Yang dominates endlessly, which means that all conditions are subject to change into their opposites.

This cyclical nature of Yin and Yang, the opposing forces of change in the universe simply mean that every phenomenon changes to its opposite in an eternal cycle of reversal. Furthermore, since each principle produces the other, all phenomena have, within them the potential to change into the opposite state, that is, joy can change to sorrow, sickness to good health, depression to elation and so on and so forth. Also, even though the opposite may not be apparent, since one state produces the other, no phenomenon/ state is completely devoid of its opposite state.

This cyclic and opposite nature of Yin and Yang is very aptly illustrated through the Yin-Yang or the Tai-Chi symbol which is derived from the universe. This familiar symbol of Yin and Yang flowing into each other, illustrates, with interior dots, the idea that each force contains the seed of the other, so that they do not merely replace each other but actually become the other. The Yin -Yang symbol is therefore, a Chinese representation of the entire celestial phenomenon. It contains the cycle of Sun, four seasons, 24- Segment Chi, the foundation of the I-Ching and the Chinese calendar.

Answer 8

I always was told that it means that there is a little good in everyone and a little bad in everyone. I realize theres probably a whole lot more to it than that though

Answer 9

I think it is saying (Like in Mulan) that you need both to form a complete circle of life.

Answer 10

you push I pull