The Way of Yin and Yang: The Law of Balance Hidden in the Wisdom of the Ancients
When it comes to "yin and yang", many people's first reaction may be the Tai Chi diagram, or the yin and yang in martial arts novels.
In fact, this concept is far less bizarre than imagined. It is like a tool that helps us open the door to the deep knowledge of Chinese tradition.
People in ancient times raised their heads and watched the changing of the sun and the moon. They lowered their heads and watched the changing of the four seasons. They realized that everything in this world seemed to come in pairs: when there was day, there would be night, when there were mountains, there would be water opposite them. When there were men, there would be women to accompany them.
Therefore, they abstracted this phenomenon of opposites and unity into the word "yin and yang".
"One Yin and One Yang is called Tao" mentioned in "Book of Changes·Xici" explains exactly this principle. Yin and Yang are not two things, but the universal rules for the movement and change of all things. It is the simple wisdom derived by our ancestors from observing the world.
From natural phenomena to philosophical concepts, where did yin and yang come from?
In fact, the origin of "yin and yang" is very down-to-earth.
The ancients first realized it from natural phenomena.
You see, to the south of the mountain and to the north of the water, there is a place where the sun can reach it. This place is Yang, and the place where the sun cannot reach is Yin.
There are clouds in the sky and smoke on the ground. These are flowing, invisible and intangible, but they are real things. They were classified as "qi" by the ancients.
By the last stage of the Western Zhou Dynasty, those who were thinking and exploring began to combine yin and yang with "qi" and felt that yin and yang were two different attributes of "qi".
Just like water vapor turns into small water droplets when it encounters cold air, Yin Qi and Yang Qi interact with each other to create everything in the world.
In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, hundreds of schools of thought contended, and the concept of Yin and Yang became even more brilliant.
Yin and Yang practitioners use it to deduce historical laws, Confucianists use this to explain social ethics, and Taoism teaches that "all things bear yin and embrace yang, and the qi creates harmony."
After the Han Dynasty, yin and yang were closely connected with the concepts of five elements, four seasons, and five directions, thus forming a set of "correlation schemas" used to explain the operation of the universe.
Since then, Yin Yang and the Five Elements have become the most important basic components of our traditional Chinese culture, like a core "underlying code".
Yin and Yang are not "life and death", but a dynamic balance of "one goes down and the other goes up"
Many people tend to understand yin and yang as two opposite parties and feel that they are incompatible.
In fact, among the yin and yang that the ancients viewed, it is more like a dance partner on the dance floor. When you move forward, I move back, and when you move back, I move forward. They coordinate perfectly with each other.
When yin develops to its extreme, yang begins to sprout; when yang reaches its peak, yin quietly appears.
This is "when yang is exhausted, yin is born, and when yin is exhausted, yang is born."
Then take a look at the classic Tai Chi diagram. Black represents yin, while white represents yang. The two colors, black and white, are closely interdependent. You have me in you, and you have me in me, thus forming a complete circle.
What's even better is that the circle is not static. The "fish eye" in the middle and its rotating posture show that yin and yang are always moving and transforming.
This dynamic balance is the essence of the yin and yang relationship.
The ancients applied this concept of balance to all aspects of life.
For example, traditional health care emphasizes "nourishing yang in spring and summer, and nourishing yin in autumn and winter" to regulate the body in accordance with the changes in yin and yang presented by the weather. When treating patients, Chinese medicine pays attention to "harmony of yin and yang" and treats people as a whole in a state of dynamic balance.
In the eyes of ancient people, if there was an imbalance between yin and yang between heaven and earth, disasters would occur. If yin and yang were out of balance, people would suffer from diseases.
Therefore, balance is the most ideal state.
From family relationships to social governance, there are shadows of yin and yang everywhere.
Don’t think that yin and yang only stay in books.
The great thing is that our ancestors flexibly applied that abstract principle to specific lives, and used it very skillfully.
The ancients said that "men are the masters of the outside world and women are the masters of the inside", and there is a shadow of the concept of yin and yang in this.
In the society of the traditional period, men were considered to be yang, which meant they were strong and active; women were considered to be yin, which meant they were pliable and tolerant.
For another example, master and servant are also regarded as a yin and yang relationship.
It is true that when we look back now, these concepts have limitations of the times. However, it cannot be denied that it shows the ancients' attempt to use a unified theoretical framework to understand interpersonal relationships and social structure.
This kind of thinking actually continues to this day.
Usually we talk about a person having the characteristics of "hardness and softness", judge a thing as "flexibility and relaxation", and praise a family as "yin and yang harmony", all of which reveal this dialectical wisdom in our bones.
It conveys to us that when dealing with any relationship, we should not only look at one side, but also see the two sides of things, and strive to achieve a dynamic balance between the two sides.
Modern enlightenment of yin and yang balance: Recovering the wisdom of "slowness" in the fast pace
In this era where speed is the pursuit of everything, the wisdom contained in the balance of yin and yang has become increasingly valuable.
When we carry out our work, we should pay attention to efficiency, which is the embodiment of "yang". However, we must also know how to rest and learn to relax, which belongs to the category of "yin".
If we only blindly pursue the strong state of "yang" without the nourishment of "yin", then people will easily feel exhausted both physically and mentally.
Similarly, we develop nature and pursue economic development, which belongs to the category of "yang"; however, we must also understand how to protect the ecology and leave room for it, which belongs to the category of "yin".
Our ancestors have clearly seen and understood a long time ago that people and nature, people and society, and people and themselves are actually all related to each other in the yin and yang category.
Only by interdependence and coordination can we go a long way.
In the Tai Chi diagram, Yin and Yang are closely linked; in the Tao of Yin and Yang, the emphasis is on "harmony."
This ancient way of thinking that embodies holism, viewed from today's perspective, still exudes the gleaming light of wisdom.
It reminds us that when we continue to pursue progress, we must not forget to turn around and look back. In the process of seeking from the outside, we must also never forget to focus on self-cultivation inwardly.
After all, "one yin and one yang is called Tao" expresses not only a philosophical concept, but also a kind of wisdom for looking at the world and living life.
It teaches us to realize that there is no simple and absolute division of black and white in the world, and life is not just about victory, failure, success, and failure.
To learn to use the perspective of yin and yang to see things, to know how to find balance in dynamics, and to maintain stability in changes, perhaps then we can live more transparently and calmly in this complex world.
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