David McLachlan Jeffrey 1

The ancient idea of balance leading up to Yin and Yang

Traditionally, the basic idea of two opposing but intertwined cosmic forces is said to have developed
before 2000 BCE. This ancient notion underlies both Taoism and Confucianism, two of the major strands
of Chinese philosophy and religion with one important difference. In Taoist metaphysics, the distinction
between good and bad, along with other dichotomous moral judgments, are considered perceptual as
the duality of yin and yang is an indivisible whole. On the other hand, Confucianism attached a moral
dimension to the idea of yin and yang.

Either way, it is impossible to talk about yin or yang without some reference to the opposite. A good
way to illustrate this idea through the impossible notion of a human race with only men or only women.
Another illustration is through nature – whenever one quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to
transform into the opposite quality. Grain that reaches its full height in summer will produce seeds and
die in winter in a continuous cycle. The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of
sunlight over a mountain. Yin (“dark”) is the dark area covered by the mountain’s bulk,
while yang (“bright”) is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually
trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.

Yin and yang became popular with the work of the Yinyangjia (“School of Yin and Yang”) which studied
philosophy and cosmology in the 3rd century BCE. Cosmologist Zou Yan (305 – 240 BCE), who believed
that life went through five phases (fire, water, metal, wood and earth) which continuously interchanged
according to the principle of yin and yang, became the principal proponent of the theory. However, the
most enduring interpretation of yin and yang in Chinese thought is related to the concept of qi (“vital
energy”) which provides an explanation of the beginning of the universe and serves as a building block
of the Chinese intellectual tradition. In Zuozhuan (“The Book of History”), yin and yang are first defined
 David McLachlan Jeffrey 2

as two of the six heavenly qi. “There are six heavenly qi … Those six influences are denominated the yin,
the yang, wind, rain, obscurity, and brightness. In their separation, they form the four seasons; in their
order, they form the five elementary terms. When any of them is in excess, they ensure calamity.”
Evidently, the philosopher Laozi (604 – 531 BCE) agrees with this as he says, “everything is embedded
in yin and embraces yang; through chong qi (“vital energy”) it reaches he (“harmony”).”

LINK AND REFERENCES https://martinifisher.com/2022/07/12/yin-and-yang/?

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