The orange ring-spun cotton Yin-Yang T-shirt is available in a variety of colors and sizes and can be worn to show an affinity and belief in the philosophy behind the symbol. The symbol is popular among consumers and can be found on items for the home, clothing and jewelry. The two shapes fit perfectly together and both have a smaller circle in the opposite color. Set in a circle with two teardrop symbols, one is white, representing male, and the other is black, representing female. The symbol itself is black and white and is recognized throughout the world. It has been described as a constantly moving shape, two sides of a coin, birth and death, friends and enemies, fire and water, positive and negative - and all are needed in order for each to exist. You can’t have darkness without light, winter without summer, and male without female. The Yin-Yang symbol represents the two sides coming together. Through the school, the symbol became recognizable and Zou Yan taught his students that life was a continuous and constantly changing journey that passed through five key phases: fire, water, metal, wood and earth. Over the centuries, the importance of Yin-Yang has impacted every aspect of Chinese life, including astrology, medicine, art and government. Yin-yang originated in China in the 3rd century BC and formed the basis of a school of cosmology known as the Yin-Yang school, which was represented by the Chinese philosopher Zou Yan. Published Chinese poetry from the 11th and 7th centuries BC suggests yang is the sunny side of the hill and yin is the shady side.
When the sun was hot, this represented fire and became known as yang. Other definitions have explained Yin and Yang by suggesting the peasant community had to stop work to rest when the sun went down and they became known as the yin community. Yang is the heaven symbol and represents male, lightness, and activity, and it is also associated with odd numbers, mountains, the color azure blue and the dragon. Yin is the earth symbol, which represents female, darkness, absorption and passivity, and it is also associated with even numbers, water, the color orange and the tiger. The good and bad transform each other as the process of existence continues.Yin-yang is based on the principle that two opposite forces make a complete life. Taoists believe that life contains good and evil elements – how we choose to respond to these energies determines the quality of life you will carry out. The Taoism culture believes that all opposites, thoughts, views, opinions, interpretations, and phenomena are developed from a common source. Their opposites complement each other and allow there to be functionality. Even though they are considered polar opposites, both elements understand that they cannot function without the other.
The yin and yang are two essential and interdependent energies of life. The symbol is found in many other cultures but over the years has come to be the symbol most people identify with Taoism. While many westerners refer to the symbol as the yin yang symbol, people who follow Taoism refer to it is the Taijitu. And other reference of females as yin and male as yang is another popular grouping. For example many refer to night as yin and day as yang. It is believed in the Taoism culture that there are several examples of the yin and yang throughout elements of our life. The word yin, in the Chinese culture, is meant as the shady side while the yang is seen as the sunny side. The symbol represents balance and the idea that the two sides are, in essence, chasing each other to seek a new balance with each other. The two halves signify wholeness and are looked at as the starting point for change. The yin and yang symbol is one of the most popular within Taoism.