Probably everyone has come across a mysterious phrase and a black-and-white yin-yang symbol. Some sources claim that this is a conventional designation of day and night among eastern residents, others - that this is the energy of masculine and feminine principles, and still others - good and evil.
When the symbol was first invented, depicting the harmony of white and black in the form of a circle divided into two parts, today it is difficult to say. It is only known that its origin was laid in ancient Chinese culture. Unlike the swastika, the concept of yin-yang did not acquire diametrically opposite meanings, but only underwent the formation of in-depth opinions and concepts around itself.
Unity and opposition of yin and yang
The modern world has fallen in love with the exoticism and mystery of this Chinese symbol. Today it can be found as an image anywhere: on T-shirts, backpacks, souvenirs, etc. This symbolism is especially exploited by Western rappers. As a result of the frequent use of the yin and yang signs, a somewhat prosaic feeling of the once mysterious symbol appeared.
To get as close as possible to the original source, you need to turn to the works of the thinkers of Ancient China, where yin and yang serve as the basis for a whole philosophical concept.
It is curious that in many teachings, these energies are characterized by suppletivism and transformation: the rebirth of one into another.
The famous philosophical treatise on the unity and struggle of opposites found its response in the famous Book of Changes. According to its creators, the world is based on two diametrically located concepts that are in constant confrontation. In order to more concisely express the essence of this idea, a sign was created that resembles the dynamic interaction of two different principles, but do not mix with each other.
Light and darkness
This image arose from watching the dawn embrace the eternal mountains, illuminating one side and leaving the other in shadow. The constant movement and variability of this process confirms the unity of different phenomena - light and darkness. This deep meaning was hidden in the mysterious yin-yang symbol. This theory was confirmed by the constant changes of the seasons, the formation of new states and their destruction, the variability of the weather …
The yin-yang symbolism is today interpreted as the unity of opposites and the universal interconnection of all things.
The unity of the two principles did not provide for the same attitude towards them. For example, the Confucians extolled the yang energy, denoted by white light. They gave this part an active function that is fundamental to all good and peace. The Taoists, on the other hand, worshiped the quiet and calm yin energy.
