Yin Yang is a concept that is unique to Chinese Metaphysics. It is a representation of everything that encompasses the Universe. It is also a representation of ‘Concept’ and ‘Dualism.’The concept and theory of Yin and Yang was said to be ‘born’ from the HeTu, the River Map that was on the body of a Qillin that emerged from the Yellow River and discovered by China’s first Emperor FuXi.

Legend has it that FuXi interpreted the HeTu to mean the secrets of the Heaven and from that point onwards, he developed subsequent philosophical theories and concepts that lead to the development of the TaiJi theory, and the YiJing. This is a generally accepted notion.

However, there is a conflicting opinion about the origin of the Yin Yang theory. It is based on the notion that the YiJing preceded the HeTu and that the Yin and Yang theory came from the YiJing. This issue is discussed in the chapter on HeTu and LuoShu.

Yin and Yang as the Philisophy of Materialism

From the viewpoint of philosophy, the theory and concept of Yin and Yang is a study in Materialistic Dialectics 唯物辩证论 (Wei Wu Bian Zheng Lun). It is only with the onset of the Concept of Materialism that the theory of Yin and Yang became a representation of Dualism. When there is materialistic thinking, there inadvertently will be Discriminatory Perception. The basis of Discriminatory Perception is Dualism. The basis of this postulation that the theory of Yin and Yang is Dualistic is based on the original verse from the YiJing.

 “无极生太极，太极生两仪, 两仪生四象, 四象生八卦”

The first phrase: “WuJi gives birth to TaiJi” is the beginning of Concept and Dualism.

Wu Ji is translated by many writers to mean ‘limitlessness’ or the ‘Supreme Void’ and it had the same connotation as the Buddhist concept of ‘Emptiness.’ Emptiness in Buddhism encompass everything that is unborn, uncreated and without a beginning or an end, and is considered as the ‘Ultimate Truth.’

For, to have a conceptualization of ‘beginning and end’ and ‘material existence’ constitutes, in Buddhist Philosophy, to be of ‘discriminatory cognition’ and that equates to ‘Dualism’ and is classified as the ‘Relative or Conventional Truth.’

WuJi is supposed to be ‘Nothing’ and ‘Non-Conceptual’ and TaiJi is supposed to be ‘One’ and ‘Conceptual.’ But when you have ‘One’ that will lead to two, three, four, and it goes on and on. Therefore, with the onset of the concept of TaiJi, it is also the onset of Conceptualization and Dualistic thinking.

The world, all phenomena that we perceive, are governed by the dualistic and discriminatory nature that encompass everything. Such is the philosophical viewpoint of the ancients, with the concept of Yin and Yang, darkness and brightness, night and day. A concept that discriminates, that separates and that gives form, color, feel and taste to things. A concept that gives us a sense of distance, a sense of time and a sense of good and bad, comfort and discomfort. A concept that makes us perceive movement and stillness, production and destruction, and of control and freedom.

The History and Development of Yin Yang Philosophy.

According to historical records by SiMa Qian (145 – 86 BC), the Han Dynasty Imperial Historical Scribe, during the time of the Spring and Autumn Era (800 – 300 BC) and the Warring States Era (770 – 221 BC), there already existed several schools of philosophy. The Yin Yang Philosophy School was already in existence then, alongside schools of philosophy such as Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, Legalists and Fatalists.

In those days, the Yin Yang school was more concerned with divination methods on the ‘Omen of Luck,’ astronomy and computation of seasonal weather. The gist of the practical side of this school is the Art of Numerology. whereby practitioners would be immersed in the following disciplines: Fortune-telling or turtle shell divination, astronomy and time keeping (or calendar work) whereby the Five-Element concept is widely applied.

Historically, the Yin Yang philosophy developed separately from that of the 5 Elements. According to the Han Dynasty Records ShiJi (History Records), both disciplines were converged into one discipline only during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) by the Philosopher and Thinker ZhouYan (305 – 240 BC).

He was said to be one of the foremost thinkers of the Yin Yang School who wrote profusely on the subject of Yin and Yang. He ‘married’ both concepts in an attempt to unravel the mysteries of Cosmology and Metaphysics. But unfortunately all his works were lost through the antiquity of time.

Zhou Yan’s works were further developed by Dong Zhongshu  董仲舒, another Philosopher who was a strong advocate of Confucianism as the official ideology of the country. He integrated Yin Yang Philosophy into Confucianism and in a controversial work of his, The Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, even integrated his ideas of the 5 Elements.

Excerpted from Chapter 6 of my book Chinese Metaphysics: Essential FengShui Basics