Yin and Yang: the infinite energy of movement within us. Feminine and masculine: the symbols "yin" and "yang"

In ancient Chinese mythology and natural philosophy, the dark principle (yin) and the opposite light principle (yang), almost always acting in pairs.

Initially, yin apparently meant the shady (northern) slope of the mountain, and yang meant the light (southern) slope. Subsequently, with the spread of the binary classification, yin became a symbol of the feminine, north, darkness, death, earth, moon, even numbers etc. Yang, respectively, began to symbolize masculinity, south, light, life, sky, sun, odd numbers, etc.

Among the oldest of these paired symbols, according to the Swedish sinologist B. Karlgren, are cowrie shells (feminine) and jade (masculine). It is assumed that this symbolism is based on archaic ideas about fertility, reproduction, and the phallic cult. This ancient symbolism, emphasizing the dualism of male and female principles, received iconographic expression on ancient bronze vessels in the form of phallus-shaped protrusions and vulva-shaped ovals.

Not later than the Zhou era, the Chinese began to consider the sky as the embodiment of yang, and the earth as the embodiment of yin. The whole process of the universe and being was considered by the Chinese as the result of interaction, but not the confrontation of yin and yang, which aspire to each other, and the culmination of this is the complete merging of heaven and earth. The Yin and Yang system was the basis of the ancient and medieval Chinese worldview, and was widely used by Taoists and in folk religion for the classification of spirits, for divination, omens, etc.

In the system of I-ching digrams, tri- and hexagrams, yang is depicted as a continuous line, and yin as a broken line. Together they symbolize all the complementary opposites of the dualistic universe in the powers and qualities of human, animal and plant life.

Yin must always go before yang, because it symbolizes the original Darkness before the appearance of the Light of creation - yang. It is also the primordial waters, passive, feminine, instinctive and intuitive in nature; soul, depth, narrowing, negative, soft and compliant.

Fairy-tale animals (dragon, phoenix and qilin) ​​are able to embody both one and the other principle, and mean the perfect interaction of these two principles in their unity. The same applies to the lotus.

personifies perfect balance two great forces of the universe, each of which has within itself the embryo of the opposite principle. This shows that there is not only a male or only a female principle in the universe, but that each of them contains the spores of the other, and that there are continuous changes. Both beginnings are included in the circle of universal cyclic circulation and change.

These two forces hold each other back in confrontation, but not in an antagonistic way, but as interdependent partners. One of the beginnings is the essence, but only two find expression in the manifestations of the beginnings in the material world.

Cadluntl yin-yang (tai chi) are depicted as prisoners in a circle. Their figurative and symbolic representation is based on a circle, a picture of the first one, from which the yin / yang polarity originated - a philosophical concept presented by the philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200). The separation of both poles is caused by an S-shaped division in half of the surface of the circle, with the yin half being assigned the dark part, and the yang half the light part of the circle. It is only from this polarity that the creation of the five elements occurs, from the interaction of which all the richness and diversity of the world (the “ten thousand things”) flows. It is also important that, as an expression of interdependence, a dark center should be present in the yang part of the divided circle, and a light center in the yin part (depicted also in the form of circles). This seems to emphasize that we are talking not about the mutual struggle and hostility between light and darkness because of the desire to achieve the dominance of one of the two principles, but rather about the desire for complementarity of one with the other.

In ancient cave sanctuaries, yang and yin stones were used, the former must be dry, and the latter wet. When dropped heavy rains with the help of a whip, the forces of the yang stone were awakened, and in case of drought and heat, the forces of the yin stone were awakened in order to achieve harmonic balance.

Yin symbolizes everything that is dark and earthy:

• femininity,
• north,
• cold,
• shadow,
• Earth,
• passivity,
• humidity
• black color,
• valley,
• trees,
• nocturnal, aquatic and marsh animals,
• most colors.
• even numbers;

Yang symbolizes everything light, dry and high:

• masculinity,
• light,
• activity,
• dryness,
• emperor;
• active start,
• rationality,
• height,
• extension,
• positive
• hard and unyielding.
• mountain,
• sky, heaven,
• solar animals and birds;
• odd numbers;

Basic values:

• Cosmic Egg, primordial androgyne,
• perfection of balance and harmony, the union of two principles
• incompleteness, part of the original whole, passing through history, the suffering of separation, the search for the completeness of the "I" - divided.

IN modern philosophy Jan And yin- higher archetypes: Yang - white, masculine, emphasis on the external; Yin - black, feminine, emphasis on the inner.

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The Taoist Monad Depicting the Concept of Yin Yang Yin and yang (traditional Chinese 陰陽, simplified 阴阳, pinyin yīn yáng; Japanese ying yo) is one of the basic concepts of ancient Chinese philosophy. In modern philosophy, Yang and Yin are the highest archetypes: Yang is white, masculine, accent ... ... Wikipedia

This article is part of 5 dynasties and 10 kingdoms 5 dynasties Later Liang Later Tang Later Jin Later Han Later Zhou 10 kingdoms Wu Yue ... Wikipedia

Yin Yang Yo!!! Abbreviations YYY, 3Y Genres family, adventure, comedy Animated series ... Wikipedia

Yin Yang Yo!!! Abbreviations YYY, 3Y Genres family, adventure, comedy Animated series ... Wikipedia

- (阴阳家, pinyin: yīn yáng jiā) philosophical school ancient China, specialized in natural-philosophical-cosmological and occult-numerological matters. The School of Dark (Yin) and Light (Yang) began. The followers of this school tried to give ... ... Wikipedia

- (Chinese, lit. school, based on the doctrine of the forces of yin and yang), one of ten philosophies. schools identified by scholars of the Han period (206 BC–220 AD) in other Chinese. philosophy. Probably arose as a result of astronomical observations. We didn't get any... Philosophical Encyclopedia

- (Chinese, lit. yin yang school) school of natural philosophers, one of the six main philosophies. schools dr. China. She developed questions of cosmo and ontogenesis, the essence and origin of the world of things and their connections with social processes and human nature. Emergence… Philosophical Encyclopedia

Can mean: Yan (kingdom) (Yan), an ancient state in northern China Yan (surname), Chinese surname distorted spelling "yang"; see Yin and yang, Yang (surname), Yang ... Wikipedia

One of the basic concepts of ancient Chinese natural philosophy. One of the universal (along with Yang) cosmic polar forces constantly passing into each other. It symbolizes a certain passive principle, which is also identified with the feminine, cold, etc. Yin… … Religious terms

We must immediately make a reservation that the desired ancient Chinese character has only two really correct transcribed names - “Yin-Yang” (from traditional Chinese) and “Ying-Yo” (from pinyin). In fact, the name "Yin-Yang" is incorrect, however, due to the fact that the wording "Yin-Yang sign" is common in everyday life and speaking practice, in this article we will use it along with the correct option.

So, what is the meaning of the Yin-Yang sign and how did it even appear? In the context of this issue, it is necessary to understand that objectively we do not know where the Yin-Yang sign came from (the photo of the symbol is presented below). Historically chinese sign Yin-Yang was borrowed by Taoist natural philosophers from Buddhists, presumably in the 1st-3rd centuries AD. This concept is put forward by a number of modern researchers, in particular, by the domestic orientalist A.A. Maslov.

Nevertheless, we learn how the Yin-Yang sign looks like from the legendary “Book of Changes” (it is also mentioned there for the first time), which, according to legend, was created by the Buddhist monk Yijing and later adapted by the ancient Chinese mystics to their own traditional worldview. In the 2nd century BC, the "Book of Changes" (more precisely, the "Canon of Changes") was adopted by the Confucian tradition and the Yin-Yang sign became almost the philosophical and esoteric basis of the teachings of Confucius. Later, when Taoism took shape in an established philosophical system, the Yin-Yang symbol became one of the key elements in understanding the principles of Tao.

That is why today, when we ask the question of what the Yin-Yang sign means, exclusively Taoist concepts come to mind. This is also true, although we should not forget that the origins of the sign are in Buddhism. On the other hand, Taoism and Confucianism in many aesthetic and philosophical aspects are extremely close to traditional Chinese Buddhism, and in most cases the meaning of the Yin-Yang sign (pictures of the symbol are presented below) is identically interpreted within various worldview systems.

What does the Yin-Yang sign mean: symbolism and philosophical semantics

To understand what the Yin-Yang symbol means, there is no need to delve deeply into the conceptual foundations of Taoism. After all, the basis of this system is quite simple, and this is its key feature. So, the Yin-Yang symbol is a model of the universe, which embodies the essence of all processes occurring around a person and inside him. This is the dialectical principle of the unity and struggle of opposites, the eternal opposition of light and dark principles, which exist only mutually and perish in the absence of one of the elements.

The black and white sign of Yin-Yang personifies the principle of constant change, but this is not randomness, but a sequential change of states - a sinusoid, where a period of “rise” always follows a period of decline. It is a constant transition from a static principle to a dynamic one and vice versa. The meaning of the Yin-Yang sign traditionally denotes the union of two principles, two principles - male (Yang) and female (Yin). Yang is fire, action, development, the apotheosis of light, creativity. Yin is water, potential, a state of rest (sometimes stagnation), a dark (conditionally negative), cold hypostasis of something.

The Chinese Yin-Yang sign in the context of the Taoist tradition teaches that progress is achievable only with an equal union of two opposing principles. The purpose of existence is the absolute equality of all vectors, harmony with oneself and the world around. And in such a struggle (be it a moral struggle within a person or a military conflict between two states) there can be no winner if, as a result, the forces are not equalized. In fact, the Yin-Yang sign says that there is no struggle at all, everything that happens is a natural and independent process, because any system strives for balance. The void is always filled with something, and where there is no void, there is no need to reproduce anything, this leads to the degradation of the system.

The rough one lacks softness, while the refined one lacks rigidity in decision-making. A warrior must also be a wise strategist, and a philosopher must be able to stand up for himself and for what is dear to him. The Yin-Yang symbol indicates the need to fill in the shortcomings of the personality by eliminating "gaps" in terms of skills, spiritual, physical and emotional development. This applies to both the person himself and any other object in the universe.

What does the Yin-Yang sign mean: practical aspects

The Chinese Wu Xing system, which underlies most of the Eastern divination systems and martial arts, and is also the conceptual basis for the well-known Feng Shui system, is based on Yin-Yang symbolism. All primary elements (water, fire, wood, metal and earth) embody the dual structure of Yin-Yang. Water puts out fire, metal destroys wood, and so on. At the same time, the black and white Yin-Yang sign and its principle have a creative aspect here: water gives life to a tree, a tree gives food to fire, and further by analogy.

Also, answering the question of what the Yin-Yang symbol means, it is worth paying attention to the fact that conceptual dualism underlies traditional Chinese medicine. First of all, these are the principles of restrictions and assumptions. An illustrative example is Zuoyuzi, which is the concept of actions prescribed for a woman who has just given birth. This is a ban on leaving the house, being in a draft, and sewing. It is necessary to eat according to a well-defined diet, not to speak certain words, not to perform a number of actions prescribed by custom. That is, as we can see, this ritual system is based on the philosophy of the black and white Yin-Yang sign, the dual aspect of “possibility-limitation”, which determines a harmonious (in this case, healthy) state.

The meaning of the Yin-Yang symbol finds similar reflection in many other cultures and concepts. These are Jachin and Boaz, as well as Hor and Kli in Kabbalah. This is Eros and Thanatos in the ancient Greek concept of the world order. These are Anima and Animus in the philosophical system of K. Jung. This is Yav and Nav in the Vedic tradition of the ancient Slavs. In other words, the concept of Yin-Yang is universal for many (if not all) religious and ethical traditions. At the same time, the Yin-Yang sign also has a purely specific features, which are described in detail (and quite simply) in the treatise Nei-ching.

P.S. Yin-Yang tattoo is quite popular in modern society. However, you need to understand that there is no evidence that in the ancient Chinese tradition, the Yin-Yang tattoo could be the norm. Moreover, in all the religious and ethical traditions of the world, tattooing on the body without a good (really significant!) Reason is considered inappropriate and even dangerous for a person. That is why the Yin-Yang tattoo is done only at your own peril and risk, this action does not and cannot have a historical, cultural or religious background

The Yin-Yang symbol is known to almost everyone. You can see his image anywhere: they put it on clothes, use it in decor, wear a Yin-Yang amulet as a decoration and a talisman, give a Yin-Yang amulet for two lovers. The meaning of this ancient Chinese symbol may not even be known to the owners of these things and jewelry. Let's find out today what the Yin-Yang amulet means and what is its significance as a talisman.

A bit of history

Translated from Chinese Yin-Yang means Light and Darkness. Perhaps that is why it is believed that these words originally symbolized the two slopes of the mountain - illuminated and in the shade, light and darkness. After all differently the illuminated sides still remain a single whole - a mountain. Since the process of illumination is not static, but changing depending on the position of the Earth, these opposites - light and darkness - interact and pass one into another.

The Chinese "Book of Changes" interpreted Yin and Yang as a symbol of the unity and struggle of opposites. This is a symbol of a single whole, in which opposite parts interact with each other, as if exchanging their energies in order to make up powerful energy"Qi".

The meaning of the Yin-Yang symbol

The circle in which the components of this symbol are enclosed means the infinity of everything that exists on Earth. This circle is divided by a wavy line into two absolutely equal parts. A wavy, rather than a straight line creates the effect of penetration of one half into the other. Both parts affect each other, because increasing one part would have to reduce the second. At the same time, in each half there is a small fraction of the opposite color - a dot. Summing up, we can say that Yin-Yang is a symbol of the whole World, opposites, which, in combination and in interaction, create a single whole.

Over time and with the development of various philosophical currents, people endowed this symbol with everything big amount values. So, it is believed that Yin-Yang is masculine and feminine, heaven and earth, good and evil. But their meaning remains the same - it is duality, opposites.

Yin-Yang as a talisman

Such a talisman can serve not only as a decoration, but also as a wonderful helper for the person who will wear it. The Yin-Yang talisman will help restore lost harmony and balance, help balance opposite sides character and bring them into balance.

If you have such an amulet or talisman, do not rush to put it on right away. Do you want it to work at full capacity? Then first cleanse your talisman, he is someone else's energy, by holding it in salt or under running water.

After that, charge it with your element. So, watermarks(Pisces, Cancers, Scorpios) need to dip the talisman into the water seven times, signs of fire (Aries, Sagittarius and Leo) need to carry their amulet seven times through the flame of a candle, air signs (Aquarius, Libra, Gemini) - it is worth lighting incense and fumigating the amulet . earth signs(Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) should sprinkle the talisman with earth and leave it like that for a few minutes.

Now your talisman is charged and ready to help you. you can in our store.

The concepts of Yin-Yang came to us from China - that is, from the East. After all, both Western and Eastern civilizations from time immemorial have come into contact, complementing each other. But, unfortunately, not everyone understands what the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol means. And, moreover, many do not know how to use the doctrine of the symbol in their lives.

To understand what the yin yang sign can mean, one should turn to the famous "Book of Changes" - the ancient Chinese treatise "I-ching". Cosmogonic meaning, that is, relating to the universe, underlies the signs of Yin and Yang. Understanding the meaning of this ancient symbol- this is an understanding of the main law of unity and struggle of opposite principles.

It was this law that was the key to the basis of dialectical materialism, which was studied by Soviet students not so long ago! This means that it was not discovered at all in our time, but much earlier - somewhere in the 7th century BC by Chinese philosophers.

The ancient Chinese sages interpreted Yin-Yang as a symbol of the unity of the whole, as its opposite parts, interacting with each other, mutually passing into each other, constituting together the common, strongest energy "qi". This inextricable connection of parts determines the development of the energy "qi".

What does the famous Chinese character look like?

What, after all, does the Yin-Yang sign mean? Everyone, considering this symbol, highlights its main features:

1. The components of the symbol, Yin and Yang, are enclosed in a vicious circle, which means the infinity of everything that exists on Earth.
2. Equal division of the circle into two halves, painted in opposite colors (white and black) emphasize the equivalence of Yin and Yang, their opposite.
3. The division of the circle not by a straight line, but by a wavy one, creates, as it were, the penetration of one opposite into another, their mutual influence of one sign on another. After all, increase one sign - the other will no doubt be reduced.
4. The influence of one sign on another is also emphasized by the symmetrical arrangement of dots - "eyes" - of the opposite color, that is, the color of the "enemy". This means that the Yin sign "looks at the world through the eyes" of the Yang sign, and the Yang sign perceives life through the "eyes" of the Yin sign.

That is, the world is created from opposites, which, in combination, can form a single whole. Whether these principles are in unity, friendship and harmony, whether they find consensus in struggle, only their inseparable interaction brings development.

Symbol history

It is assumed that initial value The symbol depicting Yang and Yin goes back to the imitation of a mountain: one side is lit and the other is shaded. But this cannot go on forever: after some period, the sides will change illumination.

For example, there are such "decryptions":

• earth - sky
• top bottom,
• warm - cold
• masculine - feminine,
• good - evil
• good - bad
• harmful - beneficial
• light - dark,
• active - passive

Some of these interpretations have a certain meaning. But most scientists do not recommend attaching ethical significance to the symbol. After all, the symbol means cosmogonic natural opposites, but not moral ones. Therefore, it is not worth talking about the struggle and unity of the good, kind and useful, on the one hand, and the bad, evil and harmful, on the other.

More details about the occurrence of the yin-yang symbol:

Charm with the Chinese symbol Yin-Yang

Amulets and amulets help people, energizing them, protecting them from all evil. One of the strongest amulets is the one in which the Yin-Yang symbol is present. But an important condition for the help of any amulet is this fact: the keeper (in this case, an amulet, talisman or amulet) must be “attuned” to the one who uses it. Otherwise, such a talisman may pose a threat equivalent to the strength of the expected help.

The sign of the Chinese symbol Yin-Yang carries the universal, continuously and eternally passing into each other forces. It also means active principles, in which wood and fire correspond to the Yang sign, and metal and water correspond to the Yin sign. Earth is neutral in this teaching.

Moreover, it should be taken into account that yang sign carries the meaning of light, active, masculine, dominant. BUT yin sign contains the meaning of dark, secret, feminine, calm. However, remembering the unity of opposites, even one, specifically taken, person cannot be ranked in one category or another. In each of us there is both the power of Yin and the power of Yang. And the greater the balance of these forces, the more successful the person.

It is the amulet with the Yin-Yang symbol that helps to balance two opposite energies, suppressing the dominant one and strengthening the weak one.

The amulet gives the wearer energy balance, helps to find a soul mate, achieve success and harmony. After all, the Yin-Yang symbol carries the meaning not only of struggle and unity, incessant movement and active energy, but also of harmony and beauty.

Yin and Yang powers in everyday life

By and large, everywhere there is a struggle and unity of Yin and Yang. Those who do not understand what this statement means should think about it. Here is our food. It consists of warm and cold food, sweet and bitter, protein and vegetable. And any diet that restricts a person, for example, only raw foods or only vegetarian dishes, disturb the balance, close the way for the development of “Qi” energy.

Speaking of Yin and Yang, they note that the meaning of a symbol is in the smooth transition of one sign to another. Therefore, in the dwelling of a person, both directions should smoothly pass one into the other. Otherwise state of mind the individual is subjected to strong stress, which does not at all contribute either to success in life or to the improvement of his health. The exception is institutions - the beginning of Yin or Yang in its pure form dominates there. In a dwelling, which should help to gain energy, relax, enjoy and enjoy harmony, the presence of both principles is necessary.