The concept of Yin and Yang is the foundation of Chinese philosophy. Yin and yang are viewed as opposite and opposing reality in the Universe. These are not scientific terms and classification of existence in terms of yin and yang is sometimes easy but sometimes difficult. Yin and yang are relative. There is nothing absolute.

When we compare the Sun and the Moon, the sun is bright and hot compared with the moon. Therefore the sun is considered yang while the moon yin.

When we compare a male and a female, the male is yang while the female yin but when we compare a dead man to a living woman, the living is yang while the dead is yin.

When we compare an animal to a plant, the animal is yang and the plant is yin. This is because an animal is mobile and a plant is relatively stationary.

When we compare a plant with a rock, the plant is yang while the rock is yin. This is because a plant is living while a rock has no life.

Some people say that yang is positive while yin is negative. They say that yin-yang is the mathematical binary concept. This is partly true. Positive and negative form one aspect of yang and yin. There are other not-so-measurable yin-yang duality.

In the famous diagram of the Yin-Yang, there are two dots. The white dot is in the yin part while the black dot in the yang part. This means that there is yin within yang and yang within yin. It also indicates that yin is the offspring of yang while yang is the offspring of yin.

The reason why we do not divide a circle into two halves by a diameter to form the yin-yang symbol is that yin and yang are not stationary. They are forever in motion. Yin and Yang are in dynamic equilibrium.

For simplicity we use a broken line to denote yin while an unbroken line to denote yang.

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