What are Yin and Yang in Taoism? 道教中阴和阳的含义

Yang represents the bright and active aspect of all things, while Yin denotes their dark and still aspect.

Yin and Yang are the most important pair of concepts in traditional Chinese philosophy, generally referring to the two vital energies of Yin and Yang. These two energies interact, intertwine, stir and propel each other, generating all things and driving their ceaseless transformation. They also signify two interrelated yet contradictory and opposing forces, which are the origin of the formation, development and change of all things.

What are Yin and Yang in Taoism?

The Great Appendix of the I Ching states: One Yin and one Yang constitute the Dao, clarifying the primal nature of Yin and Yang. The interactive resonance of Yin and Yang—namely the The Dao—is the fundamental law of cosmic generation and transformation. The development, movement and change of natural phenomena, social phenomena and the human body itself are all governed and constrained by Yin and Yang. Since then, the concept of Yin and Yang has run through the entire history of traditional Chinese philosophy, with all schools of thought expounding on it. Yin and Yang form an important category in Taoism theory, and Taoism offers multiple interpretations of Yin and Yang: ① Yin and Yang are the primordial energies that generated heaven and earth; ② Yin and Yang are the two vital energies within the human body that sustain life; ③ Yin and Yang are the innate natural attributes of all things such as hardness and softness, cold and heat; ④ Yin and Yang are moral attributes such as good and evil, benevolence and cruelty.

Taoist theories of Yin and Yang were influenced by the I Ching and the ancient Chinese theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and also absorbed the theories of the Dao and Yin-Yang from the pre-Qin Daoist school. Laozi regarded the Dao as the foundation, yet the movement of the Dao must rely on the power of Yin and Yang. Chapter 42 of the Dao De Jing states: The Dao begets the One, the One begets the Two, the Two beget the Three, and the Three beget all things. All things carry Yin on their backs and embrace Yang in their bosoms, and the blending of vital energy brings harmony. The Two refers to Yin and Yang, which are generated by the Dao; the interaction of Yin and Yang produces the blending vital energy that brings harmony, and thus all things in heaven and earth are generated through the interdependence and complementarity of Yin and Yang.

Zhuangzi concretized Laozi’s view of Yin and Yang. The Tian Zifang chapter of the Zhuangzi states: There is nothing but vital energy between heaven and earth, The extreme of Yin is cold and still, the extreme of Yang is bright and blazing. Cold stillness emanates from heaven, bright blazing issues from earth; the two interact and unite, and all things are born. Taoist theory developed this into a rich doctrine of Yin and Yang and further expanded it into the realm of health cultivation and Dao practice.

The Taiping Scripture, an early Taoist classic, mystified the theory of vital energy transformation and elaborated on the social, political and health-preserving significance of Yin and Yang. All things in heaven and earth, even monarch and ministers, and the four seasons, embody the attributes of Yin and Yang. All affairs under heaven can only generate and nurture each other through the unity of one Yin and one Yang. Yin and Yang cannot exist or generate things alone; they must interact and unite, and only with the three forces joining in one heart and mind can all things in the world be born. Calamities arise from the imbalance of Yin and Yang: If heaven loses Yin and Yang, its way will be disordered; if earth loses Yin and Yang, its resources will be disordered; if humans lose Yin and Yang, their lineage will be severed; if monarch and ministers lose Yin and Yang, their governance will be ineffective; if the Five Elements and four seasons lose Yin and Yang, disasters will befall.

Wei Boyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty stated in the Zhouyi Cantong Qi: All things without Yin and Yang go against heaven and the primordial origin, regarding all things in the world as structures of Yin-Yang complementarity. Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty discussed health cultivation from the perspective of Yin and Yang; the Jie Bao Pian chapter of Baopuzi states that humans cannot abandon Yin and Yang, for the lack of interaction between Yin and Yang will lead to stagnant and blocked illnesses. Li Quan of the Tang Dynasty explained the generation of all things through Yin and Yang: Yin and Yang are not generated by things, but by the ineffable Ultimate Dao, and all things are born because of Yin and Yang.

Zhang Junfang of the Northern Song Dynasty made a relatively comprehensive elaboration on the theory of Yin and Yang. The Nine Observances section of Seven Bamboo Slips in the Cloudy Satchel · Essential Notes on the Names and Numbers of the Seven Sections states: Before heaven and earth took shape, all was profound and obscure, unified as one. The clear and pure energy naturally condensed to form heaven, the turbid and heavy energy congealed to form earth; the primal energy divided into the four seasons and separated into Yin and Yang. The refined vital energy became humans, the coarse vital energy became creatures. Hardness and softness complement each other, and all things generate one another. Those who practice the Dao regard heaven as their father, earth as their mother, Yin and Yang as the guiding principle, and the four seasons as the fundamental order. Thus Yin and Yang became the foundation of Dao cultivation.

With the rise of Internal Alchemy, Yin and Yang further became the foundation of alchemical cultivation theory. Zhang Boduan of the Northern Song Dynasty inherited the tradition of internal alchemical cultivation and expounded on Yin and Yang through alchemical methods. The Wuzhen Pian states: The Dao generates one vital energy from emptiness, and from one vital energy comes Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang reunite to form the three entities, and the three entities regenerate to bring prosperity to all things. The Dao is the origin of life, generating the innate vital energy; the "one vital energy" divides into Yin and Yang. Cultivation requires regarding the heart as the nature (Yang, corresponding to the Li trigram) and the kidney as the fate (Yin, corresponding to the Kan trigram). Yin and Yang generate the three—essence, Qi, and spirit—from which all things multiply. Following this order generates humans, while reversing it to return to the primordial origin achieves immortality and longevity.