yin-yang
Opposing forces intertwined
Yin-yang is the Chinese philosophical concept of complementary opposites—dark and light, passive and active, feminine and masculine—that together form a dynamic whole.
The familiar black-and-white circular symbol represents this interdependence, each half containing a dot of the other.
In casual use, yin-yang describes any balanced duality or give-and-take: Their relationship has a real yin-yang quality.
Terms with contrary meanings
- polarityState of opposing forces
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
- dichotomyDivision into contrasting parts
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
binary · light-dark · male-female · hot-cold · active-passive · dyad · twofold · antithesis
Nameless cosmic principle
- qiVital life energy
- LaoziTaoism's legendary founder
- Tao Te ChingAncient wisdom text on virtue
- I ChingChinese divination classic
trigrams · hexagrams · five elements · qigong · Daoism · immortals · sages · feng shui
State of balance
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- counterbalanceOffsetting force or weight
- equipoiseEqual distribution of weight
- homeostasisBiological internal stability maintenance
stability · symmetry · moderation · proportionality · evenness · poise · adjustment · attunement
Curved closed shape
- black-and-whiteWithout color gradations
- emblemRepresentational sign or device
- dotsSmall circular marks
- swirlRotating, curving movement
iconography · tattoo · medallion · pendant · art · logo · mandala · amulet
Study of universal structure
- metaphysicsPhilosophy of existence's nature
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- principleFundamental truth or standard
- monismSingle-substance metaphysics
Confucianism · Buddhism · worldview · dialectic · holism · naturalism · cyclical · transformation
opposites
Terms with contrary meanings
- polarityState of opposing forces
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
- dichotomyDivision into contrasting parts
dualism · binary · light-dark · male-female · hot-cold · active-passive · dyad · twofold · antithesis · coexistence
Tao
Nameless cosmic principle
- qiVital life energy
- LaoziTaoism's legendary founder
- Tao Te ChingAncient wisdom text on virtue
I Ching · trigrams · hexagrams · five elements · qigong · Daoism · immortals · sages · feng shui
equilibrium
State of balance
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- counterbalanceOffsetting force or weight
- equipoiseEqual distribution of weight
homeostasis · stability · symmetry · moderation · proportionality · evenness · poise · adjustment · attunement · calibration
circle
Curved closed shape
- black-and-whiteWithout color gradations
- emblemRepresentational sign or device
- dotsSmall circular marks
swirl · iconography · tattoo · medallion · pendant · art · logo · mandala · amulet · motif
cosmology
Study of universal structure
- metaphysicsPhilosophy of existence's nature
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- principleFundamental truth or standard
monism · Confucianism · Buddhism · worldview · dialectic · holism · naturalism · cyclical · transformation · unity
- Dualityduality, dual nature, two sides, dichotomy, polarity
- hyphenated wordsup-to-date, pitch-black, jaw-dropping, round-the-clock, air-conditioned
- symbolssymbols, runes, symbol, asterisks, national symbol
- black and whitezebra, panda, orca, penguin, dalmatian
- TaoismTao, Taoism, Daoism, Laozi, Lao Tzu
- Chinese philosophyConfucianism, Confucius, Taoism, Daoism, Tao
yin-yangimbalance
Lack of proportion
disharmony · discord · unbalanced · disharmonious · disequilibrium
yin-yangseparation
State of being apart
division · fragmentation · dichotomy · one-sidedness · polarization
yin-yangmonism
Single-substance metaphysics
nihilism · atomism · materialism · reductionism · mechanism