What are yin and yang (in’yō)?
Day and night, male and female, movement and stillness. Yin and yang (陰陽, in’yō in Japanese) is the idea that everything in the world can be seen as two forces that oppose and yet complete each other.
On this page
1.Yin and yang are not good and evil
Neither side is good or bad. When yang reaches its peak, yin is born, and when yin reaches its peak, yang is born. After the summer solstice, the longest day, the nights start to lengthen; after the winter solstice, the longest night, the days start to grow. Yin and yang are always turning into one another.
2.What the taiji symbol shows
The symbol shows yin and yang chasing each other round one circle. As the white part (yang) swells, the black part (yin) narrows, until they swap over. The dots remind us that nothing is purely yin or purely yang: everything holds a little of its opposite.
3.Qualities of yin and yang
| Yang | Yin |
|---|---|
| Heaven | Earth |
| Sun | Moon |
| Day | Night |
| Spring and summer | Autumn and winter |
| Male | Female |
| Movement | Stillness |
| Heat | Cold |
| Light | Dark |
| Above, outside | Below, inside |
| Odd numbers | Even numbers |
| Hard | Soft |
4.Yin and yang in the eto
Among the ten stems, 甲, 丙, 戊, 庚 and 壬 are yang and 乙, 丁, 己, 辛 and 癸 are yin. Among the twelve branches, the Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey and Dog are yang, and the Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Rooster and Pig are yin.
An eto always pairs a yang stem with a yang branch or a yin stem with a yin branch. That is why there are not 10 × 12 = 120 combinations, but half that: 60.
5.Yin-yang and the five elements combined
Yin and yang were later joined with five-element theory, which sees everything in terms of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The result, yin-yang five-element theory, shaped the calendar, medicine, fortune-telling, feng shui and Japan’s own Onmyōdō. See the history of yin-yang and the five elements for the full story.
6.FAQ
Which is better, yin or yang?
Neither. Yin and yang complete each other, and what matters is the balance between them.
Why are there 60 eto and not 120?
Both the stems and the branches are divided into yin and yang, and only yang–yang or yin–yin pairs are made. That leaves half of 10 × 12 = 120, which is 60.
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