Chinese kung fu fans

It is widely believed throughout the world that there are two forces at work. Light and Dark, Hard and Soft, Good and Evil, Yin and Yang. One can never exist without the other.

The Chinese believe that the universe is a vast oneness with every part of it being related to and dependent on every other part. Within this all embracing oneness there is continual change; day into night, life into death summer into winter, all in an endless cycle. The Chinese gave the name Yin to the feminine, dark, soft, yielding side of things and Yang to the masculine, hard, aggressive side.

The universe is entirely made from these two forms of energy. In order for all things to progress harmoniously, the forces of Yin and yang must constantly interact with each other. While doing so, each must evolve, over a period of time, into its opposite, just as day gradually turns to night.. For this reason, everything that seems to be Yin contains some Yang and all that is Yang also contains some Yin, without which change would not be possible.

The Yinyang, which is often linked with martial arts and particularly with Tai Chi Chuan, is the representation of Yin and Yang interacting. Yin and Yang are shown in equal amounts, yet the Yin portion of the Yinyang contains a small amount of Yang and the Yang portion an equally small amount of Yin.