Construction:
The yin-yang is a circle divided in half by an S-curve. One side of the curve is black, while the other is white. While these are opposites, they do not oppose each other. Rather, they complement each other, each providing what the other does not have. Together they form a unified whole.
A white dot is placed within the black curve, and a black dot is found within the white curve. This emphasizes the necessity each side has for the other, and that you'll never actually find something that is entirely of yin or yang.
Gender Polarity – Yin and Yang Energy:
Yin is the feminine energy. Concepts associated with this energy include darkness, passivity, emotion, wetness, and cold.
Yang is the masculine energy and represents the opposite of the feminine concepts such as light, action, logic, dryness and warmth.
Neither side is better than the other, as both are required for the other to exist. Destruction cannot happen without creation, but creation cannot continue without destruction clearing the way and providing new resources. If we lived in eternal light, we would have no concept of light. Only with the contrast of darkness can the concept of light have any meaning.
Read more: Gender Polarity in Western Thought
Good vs. Evil:
Balance:
Balance is a central value within Eastern philosophy. They avoid extremes and see balance in all things as being the most correct, healthy and pleasing. This does not mean that all elements have to be equal. Most people are not equally masculine or feminine, for example, but both sides do need to be embraced. A quiet, dainty woman can still have inner strength and fortitude. A physically imposing man can still be emotional.
This philosophy can be found throughout Eastern culture. It is used in traditional medicine, in the arrangement and decoration of spaces, and in food preparation, among others.
