The Yin—Yang Symbol of Taoism

吳肖莉

The Taijitu （commonly known as the "yin and yang symbol" or simply the "yin yang"） and the bagua （"Eight Trigrams"） have importance in Taoist symbolism. In this cosmology， the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy， organized into the cycles of Yin and Yang and formed into objects and lives. Yin is the receptive and Yang is the active principle， seen in all forms change and difference such as the annual season cycles， the landscape， sexual coupling， the formation of both men and women as characters， and sociopolitical history. While almost all Taoist organizations make use of it， one could also regard it as Confucian， Neo-Confucian or pan-Chinese. One can see this symbol as a decorative element on Taoist organization flags and logos， temple floors， or stitched into clerical robes. According to Song dynasty sources， it originated around the 10th century CE. Previously， a tiger and a dragon had symbolized yin and yang.

WHAT DOES THE TAOIST YIN-YANG SYMBOL LOOK LIKE？

The most well-known of Taoist visual symbols is the Yin-Yang symbol， also known as the Taiji symbol. The image consists of a circle divided into two teardrop-shaped halves--one white and the other black. Within each half is contained a smaller circle of the opposite color.

The small white circle in the black segment （fish） indicates the root of Yang in the Yin while the small black circle in the white segment （fish） indicates the root of Yin in Yang. This demonstrates that Yin always contains some Yang and Yang always contains some Yin. This philosophy states that Yin and Yang endlessly circulate but are perpetually in balance. In other words， all changes in the universe are always in balance and endlessly move forward in circular motion. The “I Ching” says that Yin and Yang pushing each other create changes. Hardness and softness grinding each other generate the eight trigrams.This means that the decrement and increment of Taiji Yin Yang and the changes of four forms and eight trigrams are activities that result from finding perpetual balance.

YIN & YANG ARE CO-ARISING AND INTERDEPENDENT

The curves and circles of the Yin-Yang symbol imply a kaleidoscope-like movement. This implied movement represents the ways in which Yin and Yang are mutually-arising， interdependent and continuously transforming， one into the other. One could not exist without the other， for each contains the essence of the other. Night becomes day， and day becomes night. Birth becomes death， and death becomes birth. Friends become enemies， and enemies become friends. As Taoism teaches， such is the nature of everything in the relative world.

EXISTENCE AND NON-EXISTENCE IN THE YIN-YANG SYMBOL

"Existence" and "non-existence" is a polarity which we can understand in the way suggested by the Yin-Yang symbol： as mutually-arising and interdependent “opposites" which are in constant motion， transforming one into the other. The things of the world are appearing and dissolving continuously， as the elements of which they are composed go through their birth-and-death cycles. In Taoism， the appearance of “things" is considered to be Yin， and their resolution back into their more subtle （"no-thing"） components， Yang. To understand the transit from "thing" to "no-thing" is to access a profound level of wisdom.

WUJI & TAIJI - WHATS THE DIFFERENCE？

Wuji can be contrasted with and is often confused with， Taiji. While Wuji points to Tao-in-stillness （which is essentially nondual）， Taiji refers to Tao-in-motion. Taiji represents the spark of movement--the emergence， oscillation or vibratory modulation which allows the defined “something” of manifestation to be born of the infinite “no-thing” of Wuji.

Wuji exists prior to all sets of opposites， including the opposition between movement an quiescence. As Isabelle Robinet points out in the following passage from The Encyclopedia Of Taoism：

“The taiji is the One that contains Yin and Yang， or the Three ... This Three is， in Taoist terms， the One （Yang） plus the Two （Yin）， or the Three that gives life to all beings （Daode jing 42）， the One that virtually contains the multiplicity. Thus， the wuji is a limitless void， whereas the taiji is a limit in the sense that it is the beginning and the end of the world， a turning point ... In other terms， while the Taoists state that taiji is metaphysically preceded by wuji， which is the Dao， the Neo-Confucians says that the taiji is the Dao.”

THE HEART OF TAOIST COSMOLOGY

The heart of Taoist cosmology， then， is the cycling between Tao-in-stillness and Tao-in-movement： between the unmanifest Wuji and the manifest Taiji， with its dance of yin and yang. Polarized phenomena unfold from Wuji and then return to it， via the mechanism of Taiji.

An important thing to keep in mind is that the manifest and unmanifest aspects of Tao are valued equally -- neither is accorded privileged status. The return of phenomena to Wuji， to the unmanifest， can be understood as being something akin to getting a good nights sleep. Its wonderful and nourishing， but to say that sleep is the "ultimate goal" or "final destination" of your waking-life would not be quite right.

For a Taoist practitioner， the point is not to reject the phenomena of the world， but rather to understand them deeply， see them clearly， and embrace them with utmost intimacy. The benefit of Taoist practice is that it facilitates a more-or-less continuous communion with the inherent power of Wuji， throughout all phases of the cycle， in the presence as well as the absence of phenomena.