Introduction to Yin and Yang
Yin and Yang (pronounced yong, as in 'gong') is one of the most fundamental concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as it is the foundation of diagnosis and treatment. The earliest reference to Yin and Yang is in the I Ching (Book of Changes) in approximately in 700 BC. In this work, all phenomena are said to be reduced to Yin-Yang.
Yin
Translations:
- female, passive, negative principle in nature
- the moon
- shaded orientation
- north or shady side of a hill
- south of a river.
Yang
Translations:
- positive, active, male principle in nature
- south or sunny side of a hill
- north of a river
- http://www.sacredlotus.com/go/foundations-chinese-medicine/get/yin-yang
"Within Daoism, the universe is said to spring from original emptiness or Wuji. Wuji does not contain existence per se; rather, it can be said to contain the potential for existence. It is the blank canvas on which the whole of what we call ‘reality’ is projected. What allows this reality to come into being is Taiji, the catalyst from which the ‘ten thousand things’ spring. In other words, Taiji is the initial spark that triggers the process of creation. It is the point of origin for Yin and Yang—the Liang Yi or twin poles that contain the whole of existence. This process of creation applies to both the universe at large and individual human beings.
Fundamental to the Daoist worldview is the correspondence between macrocosm and microcosm. Understanding how the universe exists on a macrocosmic level should allow us to grasp the process of creation as it unfolds within human beings. At the heart of the philosophy of Daoism is the idea that the universe created itself so it can experience existence. Following from this, it can be said that human beings only created themselves so they could experience existence—their ultimate goal being spiritual elevation."
-http://www.lotusneigong.org/process-of-creation/
Wújí 無極 (literally "without ridgepole") originally meant "ultimate; boundless; infinite" in Warring States period (476-221 BCE) Taoist classics, but came to mean the "primordial universe" prior to the Taiji 太極 "Supreme Ultimate" in Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) Neo-Confucianist cosmology. Wuji is also a proper noun in Modern Standard Chinese usage; for instance, Wuji County in Hebei.
-wiki
The Supreme Polarity inactivity generates yang;yet at the limit of activity it is still.In stillness it generates yin;yet at the limit of stillness it is also active. Activity and stillness alternate; each is the basis of the other.In distinguishing yin and yang,the Two Modes are thereby established.
"Explanationof the Supreme Polarity Diagram"
- http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Writings/TJTS-Zhu.pdf