Yin Yang

The yin-yang is a symbol representing the relationship between yin and yang. It looks something like this:

           .d8888888888b.
        .d8P     888888888b.
      .dP      d888888888888b.
    .dP       d888888888888888b.
   .dP       d88888P    Y888888b.
  .dP       d888888      8888888b.
 .dP        8888888      88888888b.
 8P         8888888      8888888888
dP          Y888888b    d8888888888b
88           Y8888888888888888888888
88            Y888888888888888888888
88             Y88888888888888888888
88                Y88888888888888888
88                  Y888888888888888
88                   Y88888888888888
88         d88b       Y8888888888888
9b        d8888b       888888888888P
 Vb       888888       888888888888
 `Vb      98888P       8888888888P'
  `Vb      988P        888888888P'
   `Vb                d88888888P'
    `Vb              d88888888P'
      `Vb           d8888888P'
        `V8b     d88888888P' 
           `98888888888P'

The dark portion represents yin, while the light portion represents yang. The small circle of yin within yang represents how yin is present in the very core of yang. Likewise, the small circle of yang within yin represents how yang is present in the very core of yin.

This symbol is also known as the Tao or the Tai Chi.

I think just maybe many people seem to miss the point of yin/yang. Most look at the symbol, the white half and the black half swirling around one another, and understand that it refers to the harmony of opposites.

No, I contend, it does not refer to the harmony of opposites...it refers to the actuality that there are no opposites at all.

The white and the black do not oppose each other; they complement one another, and they are part of a larger whole, hence the circle they form.

There are no opposites in yin/yang, there are only the indispensable, inseparable elements which are divided only in our minds.

We see the white and the black...in reality, there is only the circle. I find it interesting that most with the "western mind" understand that the symbol excludes dualism, but then they say "harmony of opposites" which is dualistic thinking at its best.

.,ad88888888baa,
,d8P"""        ""9888ba.
.a8"          ,ad88888888888a
aP'          ,88888888888888888a
,8"           ,88888888888888888888,
,8'            (8888888888(_)88888888,
8'             `8888888888888888888888
8)               `888888888888888888888,
8                  "8888888888888888888)
8                   `888888888888888888)
8)                    "8888888888888888
(b           _         "88888888888888'
`8,         (8)         8888888888888)
"8a                   ,888888888888)
V8,                 d88888888888"
`8b,             ,d8888888888P'
`V8a,       ,ad8888888888P'
""88888888888888888P"
""""""""""""

The Yin Yang Symbol

The Yin Yang is the Chinese symbol representing good and Evil, light and dark. The circles in the two shapes represent the beleif that in every evil there is a good, an in every good there is an evil. This symbol is also know as the Tai-Chi symbol. It shows the classic epic struggle between the two forces of good and evil.

Yang when translated literally from the Chinese means "the sunny side of the mountain" or "illumination", while
Yin can be translated as "the shadowy slope", the opposite of the Yang.

Yang, The White Side, can be defined as active, commence, poignant, spreading out, recounting, shifting, dispersing, expanding, antagonistic and as negation, also it represents the male side.

Yin ,The Black Side, is regarded as a force which makes things concrete, materialises as being implementation, proving, corresponding, solidifying, thickening, organising, determining, sharp, at rest, hardy, compact and dependable, also the feminine side.

Geometrically (or fractally) speaking, the classic representation (seen above) is mathematically "mal-formed" (or "false"). My reasoning is based on the following construction analogy from the realm of fractals.

Consider first the "triangular" fractal whose first several iterations appear below:

Iteration 0:

          /A
         AV\A
        /7  \A
       AV    \A
      /7AVAVAV\A

Iteration 1:

          /A
         AV\A
        /7  \A
       AV    \A
      /7AVAVAV\A
     AV
    /7
   AV
  /7

Iteration 2:

          /A
         AV\A
        /7  \A     ,oO'`
       AV    \A ,oO'`
      /7AVAVAV\A'`
     AV   ,oO'`
    /7 ,oO'`
   AVoO'`
  /7'`

Iteration 3:

  `''OOoo..,
         `/AOoo..,
         AV\A  `''OOoo..,
        /7  \A     ,oO'`
       AV    \A ,oO'`
      /7AVAVAV\A'`
     AV   ,oO'`
    /7 ,oO'`
   AVoO'`
  /7'`

.
.
.

Iteration 10:

                                       ,,..oooOOO/`
                             ,,..oooOOO''``   ,/`
                 ,,,...oooOOO''``            /`
        ,,..oooOOO______,,,...ooooooOOOOOO/,/`
..oooOO*|''```''OOoo..,                ,/,/`
 \      |,   |      `/AOoo..,        ,/`/`
  \     '|   |      AV\A  `''OOoo..,/`,/`
   \     |   |     /7  \A     ,oO'/`,/`
    \    |,  |    AV    \A ,oO'`/` /`
     \   '|  |   /7AVAVAV\A'`,/` ,/`
     |    |  |  AV   ,oO'` ,/` ,/`
     \    |, | /7 ,oO'`  ,/`  /`
      \   '| |AVoO'`   ,/`  ,/`
       \   | /7'`    ,/`  ,/`
        \  |,|     ,/`   /`
         \ '||   ,/`   ,/`
         |  || ,/`   ,/`
         \  ||/`    /`
          \ '|    ,/`
           \ |  ,/`
            \|,/`
             '|
             |
             \
              \
               \

(and so on).

So, this is an analogy. What does the analogous "yin yang" style geometrical shape look like? This takes some imagination.

---

In geometry, there are regular planar shapes (regular polygons). The one with the least number of sides is the triangle. Does it even make sense to speak of a two-sided polygon? Suppose there were such a polygon and that it enclosed some area. But then one 'side' or the other (or both) would be curved rather than straight, and curvature implies an 'infinite' number of sides. So let's make a "two-sided" figure, knowing full well that it has more than two sides:

Iteration 0:


          __,,..--**''``''**--..,,__
        ------------------------------

Now, the analogy is to imagine that the curved sides get more curved.
In other words, the small extension simply follows the existing curvature,
and each new curve is angled a little bit more than the last.

Iteration 1:

          __,,..--**''``''**--..,,__
        ------------------------------__
                                        `'-._

Iteration 2:

  _       __,,..--**''``''**--..,,__
   '-.,_------------------------------__
         `''***----.....,,,,,,__________`'-. 

Iteration 3:

            __,,,.....,,,__ 
  ..--**''__,,..--**''``''**--..,,__
   '-.,_------------------------------__
         `''***----.....,,,,,,__________`'-. 
                                            `'-._
                                                `'

Iteration 4:

  *_             __,,,.....,,,__ 
    `-,..--**''__,,..--**''``''**--..,,__
        '-.,_------------------------------__
              `''***----.....,,,,,,__________`'-. 
                      `''**--..,,,____           `'-._
                                           ``````''''''

Okay, so the idea is probably becoming clear. The rule is "start parallel, curve to meet the endpoint then follow that path beyond a short distance". But what is the end result? (This is in the sense of a "geometrical limit".)

            ,.d88888888b.,
         .d8P     888888888b.
       .dP      d888888888888b.
     .dP      d8888888888888888b.
   .dP       d8888888888888888888b.
  .dP        888888888888888888888b.
  8P         88888888888888888888888
 dP          Y8888888888888888888888b
,88           Y8888888888888888888888,
88`             Y888888888888888888888
88                `Y888888888888888888
88,                  Y8888888888888888
'88                    Y8888888888888'
 9b                     888888888888P
  Vb                    888888888888
  `Vb                   8888888888P'
   `Vb                  888888888P'
     `Vb               d8888888P'
       `Vb           d8888888P'
         `V8b     d88888888P' 
            `'988888888P'`

And there it is. No holes, no extras. The mathematical version of the yin yang.

What is the yin-yang?
The yin and yang are the two aspects of everything in the universe. They are not opposing forces, but rather complementing. In the spherical image of the yin-yang (as well depicted above) is made of two parts or "dolphins". In the middle of each dolphin there is an "eye" of the other's color. This shows that no matter how the two are different they fit together to make a whole. The yin-yang has came to be the symbol of many eastern faiths, creeds, and ideologies.

What is yin?
Yin is typically depicted as the darkened dolphin or as a broken line. Yin is the extreme of Earth. Yin is:

• female
• Earth
• darkness
• cold
• wet
• winter
• autumn
• lower or slower key
• passive

What is yang?
Yang is typically seen as the lighter dolphin or a complete line. It is the extreme of heaven. Yang is:

• masculine
• active
• warm
• bright
• summer
• spring
• heaven
• dry

What are the line symbols?

yin__  __ yang______

______
______   Heaven "ch'ien"
______


______
______   Lake "tui"
__  __


__  __
______   Water "k'an"
__  __


______
__  __   Thunder "Chen"
__  __


__  __
__  __   Earth "K'un"
__  __


__  __
__  __   Mountain "Ken"
______


______
__  __   Fire "Li"
______


__  __
______   Wind "Sun"
______