"the law, regardless of the circumstances or the person. Ministers were only to be rewarded if their words were accurate to the results of their proposals. Legalism, in accordance with Shang Yang's interpretation, could encourage the state to be a militaristic autarky. The School of Naturalists or the School of Yin-yang (陰陽家/阴阳家; ""Yīnyángjiā""; ""Yin-yang-chia""; ""School of Yin-Yang"") was a Warring States era philosophy that synthesized the concepts of yin-yang and the Five Elements; Zou Yan is considered the founder of this school. His theory attempted to explain the universe in terms of basic forces in nature: the complementary agents of"
"or energy–matter that animates the universe; ""jingzu"" (敬祖), the veneration of ancestors; and ""bao ying"" (报应), moral reciprocity; together with two traditional concepts of fate and meaning: ""ming yun"" (命运), the personal destiny or burgeoning; and ""yuan fen"" (缘分), ""fateful coincidence"", good and bad chances and potential relationships. In Chinese religion yin and yang constitute the polarity that describes the order of the universe, held in balance by the interaction of principles of growth or expansion (""shen"") and principles of waning or contraction (""gui""), with act (""yang"") usually preferred over receptiveness (""yin""). ""Ling"" (numen or sacred) coincides with the middle"
"it (it is important to note that graphically it is a double 火 ""huo"", ""fire""). As an excess of fire brings destruction to the earth, it has to be controlled by a ruling principle. Nothing is good in itself, without limits; good outcomes depend on the proportion in the composition of things and their interactions, never on extremes in absolute terms. Huangdi and Yandi are complementary opposites, necessary for the existence of one another, and they are powers that exist together within the human being. The worship of mother goddesses for the cultivation of offspring is present all over China,"
"whose fusion in physical matter brings the phenomenal world into being. Also ""attrib"". or as ""adj""., and ""transf"". Cf. yang. b. ""Comb""., as yin-yang, the combination or fusion of the two cosmic forces; freq. attrib., esp. as yin-yang symbol, a circle divided by an S-shaped line into a dark and a light segment, representing respectively ""yin"" and ""yang"", each containing a 'seed' of the other. yang (jæŋ) Also Yang. [Chinese ""yáng"" yang, sun, positive, male genitals.] a. In Chinese philosophy, the masculine or positive principle (characterized by light, warmth, dryness, activity, etc.) of the two opposing cosmic forces into which"
"in ontological dualism, the world is divided into two overarching categories. The opposition and combination of the universe's two basic principles of yin and yang is a large part of Chinese philosophy, and is an important feature of Taoism. It is also discussed in Confucianism. Many myths and creation motifs with dualistic cosmologies have been described in ethnographic and anthropological literature. These motifs conceive the world as being created, organized, or influenced by two demiurges, culture heroes, or other mythological beings, who either compete with each other or have a complementary function in creating, arranging or influencing the world. There"
"able to transmute into each other. In the yin-yang symbol there is a dot of yin in yang and a dot of yang in yin. In Taoism, this symbolizes the inter-connectedness of the opposite forces as different aspects of Tao, the First Principle. Contrast is needed to create a distinguishable reality, without which we would experience nothingness. Therefore, the independent principles of yin and yang are actually dependent on one another for each other's distinguishable existence. The complementary dualistic concept seen in yin and yang represent the reciprocal interaction throughout nature, related to a feedback loop, where opposing forces do"
"craft) and earthly stability. ""Yan"" 炎 is flame, scorching fire, or an excess of it (it is important to notice that graphically it is a double 火 ""huo"", ""fire""). As an excess of fire brings destruction to the earth, it has to be controlled by a ruling principle. Nothing is good in itself, without limits; good outcomes depend on the proportion in the composition of things and their interactions, never on extremes in absolute terms. Huangdi and Yandi are complementary opposites, necessary for the existence of one another, and they are powers that exist together within the human being. The"
"five cosmological entities: Heaven and Earth (""Di"" 地), the sovereign or the government (""jūn"" 君), ancestors (""qīn"" 親) and masters (""shī"" 師). Heaven is not some being pre-existing the temporal world. According to the scholar Stephan Feuchtwang, in Chinese cosmology, which is not merely Confucian but shared by all Chinese religions, ""the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy"" (""hundun"" 混沌 and ""qi"" 氣), organising through the polarity of yin and yang which characterises any thing and life. Creation is therefore a continuous ordering; it is not a creation ""ex nihilo"". Yin and yang are the"
"the scholar Stephan Feuchtwang, in Chinese cosmology ""the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy"" (""hundun"" 混沌 and ""qi"" 氣), organising as the polarity of yin and yang which characterises any thing and life. Creation is therefore a continuous ordering; it is not a creation ""ex nihilo"". Yin and yang are the invisible and the visible, the receptive and the active, the unshaped and the shaped; they characterise the yearly cycle (winter and summer), the landscape (shady and bright), the sexes (female and male), and even sociopolitical history (disorder and order). The gods themselves are divided"
"ancestors; and ""bao ying"" (), moral reciprocity; together with two traditional concepts of fate and meaning: ""ming yun"" (), the personal destiny or burgeoning; and ""yuan fen"" (), ""fateful coincidence"", good and bad chances and potential relationships. Yin and yang () is the polarity that describes the order of the universe, held in balance by the interaction of principles of growth (""shen"") and principles of waning (""gui""), with ""yang"" (""act"") usually preferred over ""yin"" (""receptiveness"") in common religion. ""Ling"" (), ""numen"" or ""sacred"", is the ""medium"" of the two states and the inchoate order of creation. Both the present day"
"as the alternating principle of ""yin"" and ""yang"", and … insists that ""taiji"" is not a thing (hence ""Supreme Pole"" will not do). Thus, for both Zhou and Zhu, ""taiji"" is the ""yin-yang"" principle of bipolarity, which is the most fundamental ordering principle, the cosmic ""first principle."" ""Wuji"" as ""non-polar"" follows from this. Taiji is understood to be the highest conceivable principle, that from which existence flows. This is very similar to the Daoist idea ""reversal is the movement of the Dao"". The ""supreme ultimate"" creates yang and yin: movement generates yang; when its activity reaches its limit, it becomes"
"itself in multiple aspects, preeminent among which is duality. This duality takes the form of the endless opposition of contrary yet mutually interdependent and mutually complementary polarities that divide, alternately dominate, and explain the diversity, movement, and momentary arrangement of the universe. These include: being and not-being, order and disorder, life and death, light and darkness, masculine and feminine, dry and wet, hot and cold, and active and passive. Life and death, for example, are mutually arising, interdependent, and complementary aspects of one and the same process. Chapter 42 of the ""Dao De Jing"" outlines a number-based cosmology that may"
"the natural effects of diet, lifestyle, emotions, environment, and age are the reason diseases develop. According to the Neijing, the universe is composed of various forces and principles, such as Yin and yang, Qi and the Five Elements (or phases). These forces can be understood via rational means and man can stay in balance or return to balance and health by understanding the laws of these natural forces. Man is a microcosm that mirrors the larger macrocosm. The principles of yin and yang, the five elements, the environmental factors of wind, damp, hot and cold and so on that are"
"qi: rocks, trees, even people. There is nothing that is not qi. Thus, in a real sense, everything has the same essence, an idea which has important ethical implications. The most significant contribution of Zhang Zai to Chinese philosophy is his concern of qi as the basis of his ontocosmology. The qi or vital force is, according to Zhang Zai, the fundamental substance by which all processes of the universe can be explained. First of all, according to Zhang Zai, the qi or vital force is something forever in the process of changing. Second, the perpetual change of the vital"
"interplay of those categories usually termed ""yin"" and ""yang"". These abstract terms represent the relationships used to describe perceived opposites in the phenomenal world: full and empty, movement and stillness, soft and hard, light and dark, hot and cold, et cetera. This scheme has had a lasting influence in traditional Chinese culture, shaping theory in schools as diverse as Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and, to a lesser extent, Chan Buddhism, as well as traditional Chinese medicine and feng shui. T'ai chi ch'uan, a relatively recent development compared to the aforementioned schools was even named by some of its earliest known exponents"
"of Naturalists which saw the ultimate metaphysical principle as the Taiji, the ""supreme polarity"" composed of the forces of Ying and Yang which were always in a state of change seeking balance. Another concern of Chinese metaphysics, especially Taoism, is the relationship and nature of Being and non-Being (you 有 and wu 無). The Taoists held that the ultimate, the Tao, was also non-being or no-presence. Other important concepts were those of spontaneous generation or natural vitality (Ziran) and ""correlative resonance"" (Ganying). After the fall of the Han Dynasty (220 CE), China saw the rise of the Neo-Taoist Xuanxue school."
"As one of the oldest principles in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are also discussed in Confucianism, but to a lesser extent. Some of the common associations with yang and yin, respectively, are: male and female, light and dark, active and passive, motion and stillness. Some scholars believe that the two ideas may have originally referred to two opposite sides of a mountain, facing towards and away from the sun. The yin and yang symbol in actuality has very little to do with Western dualism; instead it represents the philosophy of balance, where two opposites co-exist in harmony and are"
"their physical body or bodies (from stars to trees and animals); the qualitative difference between the two seems not to have ever been emphasised. Rather, the disparity is said to be more quantitative than qualitative. In doctrinal terms, the Chinese view of gods is related to the understanding of ""qi"", the life force, as the gods and their phenomenal productions are manifestations of it. In this way, all natural bodies are believed to be able to attain supernatural attributes by acting according to the universal oneness. Meanwhile, acting wickedly (that is to say against the Tian and its order) brings"
"conflicting yet inter-reliant. When the two(Yin+Yang) forces are united they create a divine energy, which supports the flow of all life. Yin organs represent : femininity, coldness, compression, darkness, and submission. Yang organs represent : masculinity, expansion, heat, motion, and action. This duality(yin+yang) must be in balance or else disease of the mind and body will occur. Each organ governs energy channels, which distribute qi and connect all parts of the body to one another. These channels are called meridians. Wood is an element of growth, originality, creativity, and evolution. The Liver(1) and the Gallbladder(2) are the two wood governed"
"of the heart/mind as the ultimate one or source that encompasses everything including the universe and the principle. The unity of the mind expressed in the work of Lu means that the mind of humanity and the mind of the Way (Dao) are one and the same. This is in direct opposition to Zhu Xi's idea that the mind of Humanity and the mind of the Way are separate and distinct from each other. Zhu Xi also claimed that every individual thing possesses its own unique material force (""qi"") distinct from the principle (""li""). Lu vehemently opposed this dualistic doctrine"
"all things, and the other is that in the process of development of each thing a movement of opposites exists from beginning to end.” Contradiction is the basis of life and drives it forward. No one phenomenon can exist without its contradictory opposite, such as victory and defeat. “Unity of opposites” allows for a balance of contradiction. A most basic example of the cycle of contradiction is life and death. There are contradictions that can be found in mechanics, math, science, social life, etc. Deborin claims that there is only difference found in the world. Mao combats this saying that"
"generation and regeneration of beings. Taoists seek ""perfection"", which is immortality, achieved by becoming one with the Dao, or the rhythms of nature. Deities who take part in the Dao are arranged in a hierarchy. The supreme powers are three, the Three Pure Ones, and represent the centre of the cosmos and its two modalities of manifestation (yin and yang). The hierarchy of the highest powers of the cosmos is arranged as follows: Interest in traditional Chinese theology has waxed and waned throughout the dynasties of the history of China. For instance, the Great Leap Forward enacted in the mid-20th"
"the Universe balanced and ordered. It is related to the idea of qi, the essential energy of action and existence. The Tao is a non-dualistic principle – it is the greater whole from which all the individual elements of the Universe derive. Keller considers it similar to the negative theology of Western scholars, but the Tao is rarely an object of direct worship, being treated more like the Hindu concepts of karma or dharma than as a divine object. The Tao is more commonly expressed in the relationship between ""wu"" (void or emptiness, in the sense of wuji) and yinyang"
"the Infinite Mother (""Wujimu""), also known as the Eternal Venerable Mother (""Wusheng Laomu""), which is also a feature of other Chinese folk religions. It is the source of things, not female nor male, though it is called ""mother"" or ""matrix"". It is the primordial force of the universe, the fire, that animates all things. It is the Tao, as Yiguandao doctrines explain: As the personification of the primordial force, a prototype of the Eternal Mother was given in the works of Luo Qing. At first he used the concept of ""Wuji"" (""Unlimited"") to refer to the origin of the universe,"
"in it. The corresponding trigrams (Qian ☰, Kun ☷, Kan ☵, Li ☲) and hexagrams (Qian ䷀, Kun ䷁, Kan ䷜, Li ䷝) are symbolic forms used to represent those principles. Qian is the active (""creative"") principle, essence, Yang, and Heaven; Kun is the passive (""receptive"") principle, substance, Yin, and Earth. Being permanently joined to one another in the precosmic domain, Qian entrusts its creative power to Kun, and Kun brings creation to accomplishment. In the everlasting instant in which Qian and Kun give birth to the cosmos, the Yang of Qian moves into Kun, and, in response, the Yin"
"Couplets or polarities, such as Fuxi and Nuwa, Xiwangmu and Dongwanggong, and the highest couple of Heaven and Earth, all embody yin and yang and are at once the originators and maintainers of the ordering process of space and time. In mythology, Huangdi and Yandi fought a battle against each other; and Huang finally defeated Yan with the help of the Dragon (the controller of water, who is Huangdi himself). This myth symbolises the equipoise of yin and yang, here the fire of knowledge (reason and craft) and earthly stability. ""Yan"" 炎 is flame, scorching fire, or an excess of"
"karma live in land with good qi. Polarity is expressed in feng shui as ""yin"" and ""yang"" theory. Polarity expressed through ""yin"" and ""yang"" is similar to a magnetic dipole. That is, it is of two parts: one creating an exertion and one receiving the exertion. ""Yang"" acting and ""yin"" receiving could be considered an early understanding of chirality. The development of this theory and its corollary, five phase theory (five element theory), have also been linked with astronomical observations of sunspots. The Five Elements or Forces (""wu xing"") – which, according to the Chinese, are metal, earth, fire, water,"
"(winter and summer), the landscape (north-facing shade and south-facing brightness), sexual coupling (female and male), the formation of both men and women as characters, and sociopolitical history (disorder and order).There are various dynamics in Chinese cosmology. In the cosmology pertaining to Yin and Yang, the material energy, which this universe has created itself out of, is also referred to as qi. It is believed that the organization of qi in this cosmology of Yin and Yang has formed many things . Included among these forms are humans. Many tangible dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and"
"texts, and specifically Confucian, Taoist and other philosophical formulations, is fundamentally monistic, that is to say it sees the world and the gods who produce it as an organic whole, or cosmos. The universal principle that gives origin to the world is conceived as transcendent and immanent to creation, at the same time. The Chinese idea of the universal God is expressed in different ways; there are many names of God from the different sources of Chinese tradition. The radical Chinese terms for the universal God are ""Tiān"" 天 and ""Shàngdì"" 上帝 (the ""Highest Deity"") or simply ""Dì"" 帝 (""Deity"")."
"viewed as parts of an oneness that is expressed in the Tao. The term ""dualistic-monism"" or dialectical monism has been coined in an attempt to express this fruitful paradox of simultaneous unity and duality. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts. According to this philosophy, everything has both yin and yang aspects (for instance, shadow cannot exist without light). Either of the two major aspects may manifest more strongly in a particular object, depending on the criterion"
"force follows a definite pattern of activity according to the two principles, the yin and yang. The changes undergone by qi result from the perpetual activity of the yin and yang principles. Zhang Zai's conclusion is that there is nothing in the universe that cannot be explained in terms of the interaction of the twofold activity of qi. Third, the change of anything from condensation to dispersion, or from visibility to invisibility does not imply the idea of quantitative extinction of the thing in question. Fourth, Zhang Zai stresses the fact that although the creation and transformation of manifold things"
"its cosmological foundation — Yinyangism or the Naturalists — with Taoism. Within this framework, they play an important role in neidan (""Taoist Inner Alchemy""). Taoist cosmology is cyclic; relativity, evolution and 'extremes meet' are main characters. It shares similar views with the School of Naturalists (Yinyang) which was headed by Zou Yan (305 – 240 BCE). The school's tenets harmonized the concepts of the Wu Xing (Five Phases) and yin and yang. In this spirit, the universe is seen as being in a constant process of re-creating itself, as everything that exists is a mere aspect of qi, which, ""condensed,"
"has its nature. Instead of usual ""Taiji"" translations ""Supreme Ultimate"" or ""Supreme Pole"", Adler uses ""Supreme Polarity"" (see Robinet 1990) because Zhu Xi describes it as the alternating principle of ""yin"" and ""yang"", and ... insists that ""taiji"" is not a thing (hence ""Supreme Pole"" will not do). Thus, for both Zhou and Zhu, ""taiji"" is the ""yin-yang"" principle of bipolarity, which is the most fundamental ordering principle, the cosmic ""first principle."" ""Wuji"" as ""non-polar"" follows from this. Since the 12th century, there has been a vigorous discussion in Chinese philosophy regarding the ultimate origin of Zhou Dunyi's diagram. Zhu"