The terms “Yin” (or “Um” in Korean) and “Yang” have become commonplace in our modern Western culture, and whenever anyone uses these words, it is mostly used to contrast two individuals or two objects. The Yin and Yang symbol is commonly represented by a white and black circle, as shown below:
This symbol is actually called “Tai Chi” (or “Tae Keuk” in Korean), while the individual components of black and white are called Yin and Yang, respectively. In Qigong, Yin and Yang are used to explain and diagnose everything. Heavier, denser objects are attributed to Yin, while lighter, less dense objects are attributed to Yang. “Everything consists of yin and yang. The dual powers are responsible for the diversity of creation: appearance of all phenomena, processes and changes in the universal drama.” (Deng & Ballin, p.18) Harmonizing the Yin and Yang energies is the basis of all treatment in Qigong. However, there is an older, far more complicated history to the meaning of Yin and Yang in Chinese etymology.
The symbol used for “Yin” is “陰”, and the symbol for “Yang” is “陽”. There are some minor differences between these two characters, however they constitute major differences in their meaning. Outside of Qigong, Yin can mean “dark” or “overcast, gloomy”, while Yang can mean “sun, light or ‘to shine’”. In the character for Yin, there are two symbols “今” and “云”. The first symbol is “ jīn” which mean “now, current”, while the second symbol is “yún” whose original meaning is “cloud” (its modern use is “to speak/say” after it was replaced by 雲 for cloud). The “阝” is sometimes used to visualize a hill. The picture is that of a clouded hillside.
In the character for Yang, the two symbols on the right are “日 “ and “ 勿“. The first character is “rì” which means “sun, day”, while the second character is “wù” which means “negation, prohibition”. Combined with “阝”, the picture is that of the sun shining on the hillside.
According to Dr. Shiragawa, there is a deeper meaning behind these symbols, heralding back to the oracle bone script era (~1200BC). The “阝” character represents a priestly figure, and in “陰” (Yin) the “今” symbol represents a container or a lid that is containing a spirit (usually malevolent or some kind of curse) that is represented by “云”. Then in “陽” (Yang), sunlight is shone through a crystal ball “日 “, and the rays of which are being represented by “勿 “. This is used to exorcize or purify the spirit that was contained in Yin. This ultimately represented by combining the two symbols, “陰陽”.
So, “What does all this have to do with me in the 21st century?”, you might ask? That depends on what you feel is important to you. Perhaps it is enough to know that “Yin” and “Yang” represent opposing forces, and that much of life can be viewed through this lens. Or perhaps it was worthwhile to know what the meaning of each character has and how they’re used in everyday parlance. Maybe this information would benefit those who wanted to find a deeper meaning behind these characters and wanted to dig further. Whichever group you find yourself in, I hope this article was enlightening for you.
References
Deng., Dean Y. M.D. & Ballin, Enid Qigong: A Legacy in Chinese Healing 1998
Shiragawa, Shizuka Jitou (字統) 2017
