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from Chinese words meaning "shaded" and "sunny." Beginning in the early
4th century BC Chinese philosophers wrote about yin and yang in terms of
the environment, especially the shaded and sunny sides of a hill. By the
end of that century yin became associated with everything dark, moist,
receptive, earthy, and female, whereas yang was bright, dry, active,
heavenly, and male. Yin and yang were believed to combine in various
proportions to produce all the different objects in the universe.
There is always an element of yang within yin and an element of yin
within yang. Together they are symbolized by a circle divided into black
and white sections, with a dot of white in the black portion and a dot of
black in the white portion. This interaction indicates that the
characteristics of yin cannot exist without those of yang, nor the
characteristics of yang without yin. Chinese philosophers stressed the
importance of balance between the two to ensure social and political harmony.
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