On the other hand, some people believe that the first Chinese gods were born from Yin and Yang.īoth Taoism and Confucianism follow the principles of Yin Yang, with Taoism focusing on Yin and Confucianism focusing on Yang.Īt the same time, Taoists focus more on reclusion and seclusion, while Confucianists believe that engaging in life is more important. Some people believe that the achievement of the balance between Yin and Yang allowed the creation and birth of the first human being. It is believed that Yin and Yang were first created from the chaos that emerged when the universe was born. Zou Yan theorized that life went through 5 different phases fire, water, metal, wood, and earth and these phases always changed depending on if they are in a Yin or Yang state. The Yin Yang was firstly used by Zou Yan, a cosmologist, and renowned philosopher and academic in ancient China. The concept of Yin and Yang was firstly introduced by the Chinese School of Naturalists/School of Yin Yang which studied cosmology and philosophy. That being said, texts from early times show that it has been around since the 3 rd century BCE and could have emerged several centuries before that. The History of Yin and Yang ConceptĪlthough it plays an important part for Chinese philosophy, it is not exactly known when the Yin and Yang theory emerged. In the symbol, we see a balance between the two opposites, dark and light, with a little of each present in the other. In general, the Yin Yang symbol is used to represent the simultaneous unity and duality of nature and everything on earth. Also, in Chinese martial arts, practitioners trained to achieve the balance of Yin and Yang to be successful.

The duality of Yin Yang was always a central concept for the Chinese philosophy, science, and medicine. The duality of Yin Yang can be symbolized by many different pairings such as fire and water, light and dark, good and evil, expanding and contracting etc. It shows how forces such as good and evil, which are apparently opposites, are actually deeply intertwined and interconnected with and complementary to each other while also being independent entities in the natural world. With is white and black halves in full contrast with each other, the Yin Yang symbol represents the good and evil, the light and the darkness in the world.

Basic Concepts that Define Yin and Yang.

History of yin yang symbol