"Ying" and "Yang"- The ancient Chinese philosophy

Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the three most important philosophies that constitute the Chinese culture. Yin Yang is a Taoist philosophical principle, which represents the ancient Chinese understanding of how things work and how they think about life. Ying represents female elements such as the moon, night, water, weakness, darkness, mystery, softness, passivity, etc., while Yang, male elements such as the sun, day, fire, strength, brightness, clearness, hardness, activity.

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, there’s a black dot in the white and a white dot in the black, which means there’s no absolute black and no absolute white. Each contains the seeds of the other and together form a dynamic unity. Yin and Yang depend on each other, exist within each, give birth to each other, and succeed each at different time.

Ancient Chinese think that every universal phenomenon embraces both Yin and Yang, embraces both the black and the white, and embraces contradiction, paradox and change. Yin and Yang are complementary if life is to be created, maintained, and developed in a harmonious way.

The reversion of Yin and Yang, love and hatred, good and bad, fortune and misfortune is well illustrated by the Chinese proverb Sai weng shi ma an zhi fei fu (“The old man has lost his horse but who knows if this is a misfortune”). Behind the proverb is the story about the “old man” and his “horse”, here is the story:

There was once an old man who lived with his only son at the border of the state. They were fond of horses and often let them graze freely in the meadow.

One time a servant reported to the old man, "A horse is missing! It must have gone into the neighbouring state." His friends felt sorry for him, but the old man was not bothered at all by the loss. As a matter of fact, he said, "Who knows! The loss may bring us good fortune!"

A few months later, a strange thing happened. Not only did the missing horse return home safely, it also brought back with it a fine horse from the neighbouring state. When his friends heard the new, they congratulated the old man on his good luck. But the old man said, "Who knows! This may bring us ill fortune!"

One day, when the old man's son was riding the fine horse, he accidentally fell off the horse, broke his leg, and was crippled. Many friends came to comfort the old man, but the old man was not disturbed by the accident. "Who knows! This may bring us good fortune after all!" he said.

A year later, when the neighbouring state sent troops across the border, all the young and strong men were drafted to fight the invaders, and most of them got killed. The old man's son was not drafted because he was crippled and so his life was spared.

The Yin Yang philosophy offers a dialectic worldview, a paradoxical yet balanced approach to life. It is the philosophical foundation that empowers Chinese people to follow different teachings and behave differently under different circumstances.