Yin-Yang
- Yin: Represents darkness, cold, softness, femininity, etc. It is passive and introverted.
- Yang: Represents brightness, warmth, hardness, masculinity, etc. It is active and extroverted.
Yin and Yang are opposing yet complementary forces, and everything contains both Yin and Yang. For example, night (Yin) and day (Yang), winter (Yin) and summer (Yang) illustrate the balance and harmony in natural phenomena.
compare these two.
compare with Yin, Yang
Even with the same warmth, you can tell one is warmer by comparison. (colder same)
The Five Elements
The Five Elements consist of Wood (木), Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金), and Water (水), and they interact with each other to explain the changes in the universe.
- Wood: Symbolizes growth and the beginning of life, associated with spring and the east.
- Fire: Symbolizes energy and passion, associated with summer and the south.
- Earth: Symbolizes stability and harmony, associated with the transitional periods between seasons and the center.
- Metal: Symbolizes strength and harvest, associated with autumn and the west.
- Water: Symbolizes flexibility and depth, associated with winter and the north.
These elements have interdependent relationships known as the cycles of creation (Sheng cycle) and destruction (Ke cycle). For example, Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth (ash), Earth bears Metal, Metal collects Water, and Water nourishes Wood.
These concepts are widely applied in traditional Eastern medicine, Feng Shui, philosophy, and more.