The Concept and Symbol of Yin and Yang Explained

The principle of Yin and Yang dates from the third century BCE and perhaps even later than that, and is the foundational principle of Chinese philosophy and Chinese medicine. Yin and Yang is a symbol of balanced opposites, where they are inseparable and contradictory such as dark and light, and young and old. The term Yang in Chinese means the sunny side of the hill, and the term Yin means the shady side. Yin and Yang are two different energies that can be used to describe any and everything in the universe, and as symbolised in the two small dots within the Yin and Yang symbol, everything contains a bit of its opposite. The symbol of Yin and Yang shows that each side is equal and comprises a bit of the other, neither is superior and an increase in one leads to a decrease in the other. In order to reach harmony, the two sides must be correctly balanced. It is believed that if there is ever too great of an imbalance between Yin and Yang, natural disasters such as droughts, floods and plagues can occur.