In Chinese concept, yin and yang are two opposing elements of the universe. They are not two poles like good and evil, however; they are relative. For example,
Yin: associates with the dark Moon (facing away from Sun), represents feminine nature
Yang: associates with the bright Sun, represents masculine nature
Yin and yang can also be used (in conjunction with other characters) to indicate various parts of the male and female anatomy.
A modern example:
Yin: the traffic light on the freeway (the stillness)
Yang: the traffic that flows past that traffic light (the vivaciousness)
Some Chinese, Korean and Japanese place names that still exist are named in the following principle:
Yin: the north side of the mountain, the south side of the river.
Yang: the south side of the mountain, the north side of the river.&nbs |