yin
Dark, cold, feminine
Yin is one half of the complementary pair in Chinese philosophy, representing the passive, dark, feminine, and receptive principle of the universe.
It exists in dynamic balance with yang, its active, bright, masculine counterpart: the yin and yang of work and rest.
The familiar circular symbol shows each force containing a seed of the other.
By extension, yin describes anything characterized by these qualities—coolness, stillness, shadow, or introspection: She brought yin energy to the hectic office.
Light blocked by object
- nightDark hours daily
- moonNatural planetary satellite
- shadeDarkness from blocked light
- dimnessInsufficient illumination
twilight · dusk · obscurity · hidden · veiled · inward · depth · winter
Slow Chinese martial art
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
- passiveNot actively participating
receptive · complementarity · polarity · interdependence · unity · wholeness · cyclical · yielding
Supportive care-giving
- receptiveOpen to input
- gentleSoft and kind
- softnessYielding to gentle pressure
- compassionConcern for others' distress
maternal · tenderness · graceful · sensitivity · caring · nourishing · empathy · goddess
Complete lack of motion
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- tranquilityUndisturbed peacefulness
- peaceFreedom from disturbance
- calmFree from agitation
serenity · rest · softness · gentleness · meditative · soothing · receptive · inward
Instinctive immediate understanding
- receptiveOpen to input
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- subconsciousBelow conscious awareness
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
awareness · perception · feeling · empathy · instinct · contemplation · reflection · listening
shadow
Light blocked by object
dimness · twilight · dusk · obscurity · hidden · veiled · inward · depth · winter · mystery
coolness
Calm self-possession
cold · refreshing · shade · winter · night · moon · stillness · calm · soothing · blue
taichi
Slow Chinese martial art
passive · receptive · complementarity · polarity · interdependence · unity · wholeness · cyclical · yielding · softness
nurturing
Supportive care-giving
compassion · maternal · tenderness · graceful · sensitivity · caring · nourishing · empathy · goddess · womanhood
stillness
Complete lack of motion
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- tranquilityUndisturbed peacefulness
- peaceFreedom from disturbance
calm · serenity · rest · softness · gentleness · meditative · soothing · receptive · inward · contemplation
intuition
Instinctive immediate understanding
- receptiveOpen to input
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- subconsciousBelow conscious awareness
sensitivity · awareness · perception · feeling · empathy · instinct · contemplation · reflection · listening · subtle
grounding
Connecting to earth
- belowAt a lower position
- descendingMoving downward
- heavyOf great mass
dense · substance · material · solid · rooted · stability · depth · interior · downward · contracting
- Eastern PhilosophyTaoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism
- Eastern SpiritualityBuddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto
- East Asian Magicfeng shui, qi, talismans, exorcism, divination
- I ChingI Ching, trigram, trigrams, hexagram, hexagrams
- yogaasana, asanas, pranayama, yoga class, yoga pose
- Y wordsyacht, yahoo, yak, yam, yank
- yin and yangOpposing yet interdependent principles
- yin yangComplementary opposing forces
- yin yang symbolDualistic harmony emblem
- yin yogaSustained-pose contemplative practice
- Ying YangSymbol of complementary opposites
- yin energyPassive principle in Chinese philosophy