Yin-yang (阴阳) is at the foundation of the Yi Jing 易经. And it’s a guiding notion in the formation of the Chinese culture at large.
Chinese folklore describes, prior to the creation of the Chinese character writing system, the mythical emperor 伏羲 Fu Xi (foo shee) perceived the movement of yin-yang while observing the changing seasons. It is said that during the cold seasons, Fu Xi noticed the shadows of trees were longer; and during warm seasons, he noted the shadows were shorter.
Without a writing system to express these concepts, they used a broken line to express “yin,” and an unbroken line to express “yang.”
This realization brought about the awareness of yin-yang. A phenomenon of balancing opposite values supporting universal balance.
Most of us have seen the yin-yang symbol multiple times, yet may not understand the universal truth it represents. The simplified characters “阴 yin” and “阳 yang,” visually express the idea behind pairing opposites that has established the nomenclature for the “yin-yang” universe-view. A view which became the basis for the Yi Jing 易经, known in English as the “I Ching” and the “Book of Changes.”
The simplified character 阴 for yin, contains the character 月 “moon.” This gives the notion of cool, dark, and still — all traits of yin energy. And the character 阳 for yang, contains the character 日 “sun.” This gives the sense of warm, bright, and active — traits of yang energy.
The theory of yin-yang has been at play in the Chinese culture for thousands of years. For the average Chinese, understanding this thought does not require one to study the Yi Jing (易经) or dabble in classical literature. It only requires one to speak and read Chinese, because yin-yang appears at nearly every turn in the language. Yet, and perhaps unbeknownst to many native speakers, yin-yang informs their thought process and universe-view — 宇宙观.
Two of the three pillars of Chinese culture — Daoism and Buddhism — are universe-contemplating philosophies. These philosophies have long practiced reaching beyond earthbound realms to seek answers.
Confucianism is the third of the three pillar philosophies of Chinese culture. It is the only one bound to human society, therefore it is more earthbound.
From the early influence on the foundation of Chinese culture to the creation of the Chinese writing system, yin-yang found its way to the forefront of it all.
Simply put, the concept of yin-yang is the foundation of the entire universe from the traditional Chinese perspective. We can understand yin-yang as the universal makeup. With yin representing the dark, cool, feminine aspects; and yang representing the bright, warm, masculine aspects. Together, these two values make up the whole.
Today, we only need to look, to see the millennia-old influence of the yin-yang concept peppered throughout the Chinese language. It is also the language of the Yi Jing 易经 and the linguistic foundation of the Chinese universe-view.
Yin-yang Character Groups
Yin-yang Character Groups 阴阳词组 are made up of two characters. Like yin-yang, they express opposite meanings understood as a balanced whole. Most of these character pairs are simply direct opposites. They represent a unit made up of two opposites, and some express separate meanings beyond that of the individual characters.
The basis of these character groups appears to be patterned after the two-character grouping “阴阳 yin-yang.”
Below, we see common examples of Yin-yang Character Groups that establish a single unit-concept conjoining two characters representing opposite values.
For the Chinese speaker, these groups represent the idea of universal balance by combining opposite values. They support the yin-yang mindset. And they provide a way to clarify misunderstood characters in speech. When the listener is not clear of a character in a certain group; the speaker can vocalize the Yin-yang Character Group to inform the listener exactly the character referred to.
A brief list of Yin-yang Character Groups
好坏 (hǎo huài) good-bad
高低 (gāo dī) high-low
高矮 (gāo ǎi) tall-short
快慢 (kuài màn) fast-slow
长短 (cháng duǎn) long-short
前后 (qián hòu) front-back, before-after
苦乐 (kǔ lè) sorrow-joy
甜酸 (tián suān) sweet-sour
真假 (zhēn jiǎ) real-fake
古今 (gǔ jīn) ancient-present
Some Yin-yang Character Groups also have a single-unit meaning. A meaning beyond that of the two individual characters. This meaning frequently has a logical connection to the characters’ core meanings.
Below are examples of Yin-yang Character Groups with single-unit meanings.
开关 (kāi guān) open-close; a power switch
大小 (dà xiǎo) big-little; size (shoe, clothing etc.)
左右 (zuǒ yòu) left-right; about or around; to govern
We also use Yin-yang Character Groups to clarify the space that lies between the “black and white” of the two characters.
Consider the example of 好坏 good-bad. We suggest the idea of “somewhere in between good and bad,” by saying: 不好不坏 bù hǎo bú huài (Lit. not good not bad), which places the focus of meaning between the two values — good-bad, expressing a space of balance at the center of the two values.
不长不短 not long not short
不大不小 not big not little
不高不矮 not tall not short
Using the example of 快慢 fast-slow, we suggest both values are present by saying: 又快又慢 yòu kuài yòu màn (Lit. both fast and slow) giving the idea that perhaps the “runner” was speeding up and slowing down. Again, achieving a sense of balance, or inclusion of both values into one experience.
Below are more examples.
又好又坏 both good and bad
又甜又酸 both sweet and sour
又苦又乐 both sorrow and joy
The Yin-yang Question Pattern
Anyone who has studied rudimentary Chinese is aware of different ways to construct questions. One of the most common ways to ask a question in Chinese is based on the concept of yin-yang — word not-word, or “字” “不字.”
We ask simple questions following the “word not-word” pattern above, using the word for what you are questioning, such as “good 好.” Using “good,” we get the question “good not-good (hǎo bù hǎo) 好不好, ” which means — Is it good? Or, Is that OK?
By looking at the two parts of this pattern, we see yin-yang opposites as “good” and “not-good” (bad).
Below are more examples.
你吃不吃?(nǐ chī bù chī?) Will you eat it? Do you eat it? (Lit. you eat not-eat?)
她喜欢不喜欢?(tā xǐ huan bù xǐ huan?) Does she like it? (Lit. she like not-like?)
我们有没有时间?(wǒ men yǒu méi yǒu shí jiān?) Do we have time? (Lit. we have not-have time?)
The Mindset of Yin-yang
Yin-yang has not only influenced the Chinese writing system and speech habits. It is an underlying ebb and flow that shapes the Chinese mindset and universe-view.
In my next article — How Yin-yang Shapes the Chinese Mindset — I will delve more into this topic.