Know the origin of the Yin Yang symbol
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We all know or have ever seen the famous Chinese Ying Yang symbol, but do you know what is the origin of the Yin Yang symbol? There are several theories about the emergence of this symbol and that it refers to duality. Here we will see the most accepted.
The I-Ching
We have the first reference to duality in Chinese philosophy in the book of changes I-Ching, which in its characters combines the sun (above) and the moon (below).
Traditionally it has been translated yīn as dark, gloomy, and represents the northern, cloudy part of a mountain, while simplified it is translated as the moon. On the other hand, yang represents the south, sunny side of a mountain, and simplified it has been translated as the sun.
The origin of the Yin Yang symbol
By observing the shadow of the Sun the ancient Chinese determined the four directions. They used a pole about 8 feet long (Chinese measure), placed at right angles to the ground, and recorded the positions of the shadow.
The direction of the sunrise is East; the direction of sunset is West; the direction of the shortest shadow is south and the direction of the longest shadow is north.
They also noticed the seasonal changes. When it points east it is spring; when it points south it is summer; when it points west it is autumn; when it points north it is winter.
By looking at the cycle of the Sun, they recorded that the length of a year is around 365.25 days. They even divided the cycle of the year into 24 segments, including the spring equinox, fall equinox, summer solstice, and winter solstice, using the sunrise and dipper positions.
They used six concentric circles, marked the points of 24 segments, divided the circles into 24 sectors, and recorded the length of the shadow every day.
The shortest shadow is found on the day of the summer solstice. The longest shadow is found on the day of the winter solstice.
The light-colored area that indicates the most sunlight is called the Yang (Sun). The dark-colored area has less sunlight (more moonlight) and is called Yin (Moon). Yang is like a man. Yin is like a woman.
Yang would not grow without Yin. Yin could not give birth without Yang. Yin is born (begins) at the summer solstice and Yang is born (begins) at the winter solstice.
Therefore, a small Yin circle is marked at the summer solstice position. Another small Yang circle is marked at the winter solstice position. These two little circles look like two fish eyes.
Who drew the Ying Yang symbol?
There are many mysteries surrounding the creation of the ying-yang symbol, one of the theories attributes the drawing of the symbol to Fu-Xi, a mythological character who has also attributed the creation of writing, the book of I-Ching, the Eight Trigrams or Bāgùa in addition to being the founder of Taoism.
But in reality, there is no consensus on this theory. The first evidence of the Ying Yang symbol can be seen in the Chinese museum. Ying Yang symbols are on display in the earliest pottery unearthed around 2600 BC.
