5 Suprising Insights About the “Yin-Yang” Symbol
There is a lot more to what is commonly called the “yin yang symbol,” than first meets the eye. While there is beauty in its simplicity, the complexity of information implied in this symbol can deepen our understanding of ancient Chinese cosmology and traditional medicine.
Here are 5 things you might not know about it:
1. Its Chinese name is Taijitu.
You have probably heard the word Tàijí (Tai Chi) in reference to the physical-energetic martial-art practice with the same name. This practice is based upon the relationship between yin and yang.
In English, we refer to the tàijítú as simply as the taiji or yinyang symbol. The translation of tàijítú provided in the Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary is “the Absolute in ancient Chinese cosmology, presented as the primary source of all created things.”
The Chinese characters for tàijítú are:
tài 太 = supreme, big, great, most
jí 极 = extreme, culmination, ridgepole, ultimate
tú 圖 = picture, pattern, design, diagram.
Altogether, the taiji symbol essentially represents the ultimate design of life itself.
2. It represents the qualities of Yin and Yang.
As you may already know, the taiji symbol represents the relationship between yin and yang. Upon seeing it, many people immediately grasp that it refers to two opposites changing into each other in a mutually shared cycle and that the small circles within each half imply that each lies within the other.
But do you know which elements represent yin or yang within the symbol? Yang is represented by the color white in the taiji, associated with activity, warmth, light, rising, daytime, and summer. Yin is represented by the color black and is associated with rest, coldness, darkness, heaviness, sinking, and nighttime.
3. It involves an up-down and left-right orientation.
In ancient Chinese cosmology, the direction of South (or towards the equator) is located at the top of diagrams including the taijitu, while North (or towards the nearest pole) is located at the bottom. East is on the left and West is on the right.
Because Yang is associated with the direction of up, activity, and lightness, the white half of the taiji symbol is primarily located on the left, culminating in its abundance at the top. And because Yin is associated with the direction of down, rest, and density, the black half is located on the right, culminating in its abundance at the bottom.
In relationship to time of year and day, the top of the symbol represents noon and summertime, while the bottom represents midnight and winter. You’re probably already guessing, correctly, that the left side represents sunrise and spring, while the right side represents sunset and the fall season.
4. It symbolizes movement through time and space.
The taijitu, represents the cycles of time through marked by solar and lunar phases: time of day, lunar month, and the solar year.
The top and bottom of the taiji symbol represent the extremes of Yin and Yang, and therefore midnight and noon; new moon and full moon; and winter and summer respectively. At these extremes, the bulbous ends of the white and black sections represent the fullest expression of Yin and Yang.
At these extremes, the small circles represent the seeds of Yin and Yang being contained within the fullness of the other and the inevitability of sprouting into their own growth. This growth allows the other to fade, leading to balance between the two. Before too long, the growth continues to reaching its full expression when the seed of the other begins its own process of sprouting and growing into its own fullness.
This cycle cannot represent a static balance, but instead represents a dynamic cycle of balance through change, where every quality is kept in check from continuing it its extreme expression for too long. Through this cycle, everything always returns to balance, while at the same time, everything is always changing.
As an example, we can follow along through the daily cycle like so: Midnight is representated at the bottom of the taiji, where Yin is at its greatest and Yang is at its smallest. This is the time of night when Yin has grown into its fullest expression. Meanwhile, there always exists Yang within Yin, and so Yang begins to grow. At its midpoint of increasing is during sunrise, represented at the left. Yang’s greatest expression is at noon. However, there always exists Yin within Yang, and so Yin takes root and begins to grow. Yin’s midpoint of expansion is at sunset, represented on the right, and its growth once again culminates at midnight.
You can follow along in the same way with the cycles of the seasons of the year and the phases of the moon in this way.
Related to the correspondence to the four seasons, the directions of the taiji symbol also correspond to the four directions. South is at the top, west at the right, north at the bottom, and east on the left. (If you’re in the Southern hemisphere, you can simply switch north to the top and south to the bottom, and imagine the direction of rotation, instead of clockwise, moving counter-clockwise within the symbol.)
5. Its principles are inherent within all other theories in Chinese astrology and medicine.
While the taiji symbol is profound it its simplicity, its meaning can be expanded to ever-growing complexity in terms of correspondences with the cycles of yin and yang in our environment and in our own bodies.
The five phases (elements) of Chinese medicine can be overlayed upon this map, as well as the divisions of the Chinese astrological calendar, the organ and channel systems of Chinese medicine, temperatures and tastes of herbs, as well as physical and mental-emotional symptoms.
Now that you know more about the taiji symbol and recognize some of its deeper meaning, you might enjoy contemplating how you can get in tune with these dynamics inside and outside yourself. It is awe-inspiring to have access to the wisdom of ancient Chinese cosmology through this simple symbol. Understanding these universal principles of life can help us cultivate our health through living in harmony with the cycles of nature.
