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By observing the sky, recording the Dipper's positions and watching the shadow of the Sun from an 8-foot (Chinese measurement)
pole, ancient Chinese determined the four directions. The direction of sunrise is the East; the direction of sunset is the
West; the direction of the shortest shadow is the South and the direction of the longest shadow is the North. At night, the
direction of the Polaris star is the North.
They noticed the seasonal changes. When the Dipper points to the East, it's spring; when the Dipper points to the South,
it's summer; when the Dipper points to the West, it's fall; when the Dipper points to the North, it's winter.
The Ecliptic is the Sun's apparent path around the Earth. It's tilted relative to the Earth's equator. The value of obliquity
of the Ecliptic is around 23 26' 19'' in year 2000.
See Picture Below
Found
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/yinyang.htm
The following are some of the more well-known examples of yin and yang:
Yang Yin
Active Passive
Hot Cold
Life Death
Summer Winter
Male Female
Day Night
Odd Even
Sun Moon
Fire Water
Tao is one
One is two
Two is three
Three is the multitude
Tao is one
One is Yin and Yang
Two is Yin and Yang with Qi
Three is the multitude
in harmony of Tao
The hungry prince and the broken king
gain is loss
loss is gain
The essence of the teaching
the violent die a violent death
the yin yang symbol has a long history in taoism, it is sometimes represented by two dragons. The meaning of the symbol
refers to the complementary nature of all things.
The Korean flag was slightly changed in 21 February 1984, but the disposition of the ying yang seems strange (left blue,
right red instead red over blue). I checked some plates pre-1984 and in all the plates the flag is red over blue. The flag
was not adopted until 1950 but was in use de facto after 1945; perhaps the design posted is derived from the designs used
from 1945-50,
Jaume Ollé, 31 December 1998
I saw on TV recently what seems to be the first flag of the Republic of Korea. This was on the TV show M*A*S*H, a show
from the 1970s, but set in the times of the Korean War. The flag references they have (the show is set on a US Army medical
base) are quite accurate (ie a 48-star flag flies over the compound, along with a UN and S. Korean flag), so I don't doubt
the authenticity of the flag. The flag was shown in a good shot in the episode "Welcome to Korea" (season opener
of season 5), and I attach it as KR-1952.GIF (because it was referenced in the episode that it takes place shortly before
September 19, 1952). The major differences: the four corner elemnts are smaller and closer to the corner, and the ying-yang
is on its side. The ying-yang also appeared to be drawn differently, but I couldn't get a clear enough shot of it to tell
for sure how it appeared.
David Kendall, 29 December 1998
Found
http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/kr_hist.html
History of the South Korean flag
Click on flag
http://www.168fengshui.com/Articles/Article_yinyang.htm
The concept of Yin and Yang is one of the most fundamental and profound theories of Feng Shui. It is the Chinese perspective
of balance and continual change. Many Feng Shui practitioners claim they have a deep understanding of this concept, yet they
cannot even represent the image correctly. In fact, this is a good indicator of the depth of knowledge a "master"
possesses. Many times these practitioners call themselves masters, yet their printed materials contain an incorrect Tai-ji
(The name for the Yin and Yang circle) representation. How can one call themselves a master of Feng Shui and not even understand
the basics of this deep and extremely significant diagram? Yin and Yang is a foundation theory for Feng Shui that supports
many other theories including the Five Elements theory and the Environment. Hopefully by reading this, you will be better
informed on what Yin/Yang theory is in Feng Shui.
What the Western version might be
Yin and Yang are dependent opposites that must always be in balance. The opposites flow in a natural cycleWestYinYang.gif
(1980 bytes) always replacing the other. Just as the seasons cycle and create a time of heat and cold, Yin and Yang cycles
through active and passive, dark and light, etc. Yin and Yang evolved from a belief of mutually dependant opposites that
cannot live without the other. The Eastern view of opposites is, if you will excuse the pun, opposite of a Western view.
If Yin and Yang are balanced and flowing in the East, in the West (if a similar philosophy were adopted), it might look like
the image to the right.
We in the West tend to look as things as black "or" white, right "or" wrong, etc. There is separation
and unrelatedness in the Western perspective. Whereas, the Chinese view opposites as evolving and cycling. There is neither
right or wrong, but rather there is balance, transformation, interaction, and dependent opposition. We need both to maintain
a balance.
Symbolism
Yin and Yang can further be explained as a duality that cannot exist without both parts. The chart below shows some of
the many opposites that are contained in such a simple symbol.
Yang
LINKS to other YIN YANG Sites
The meaning of Yin-Yang
Yin Yang
Yin and Yang
Why Yin Yang Symbol Yin Yang looks like this way?
CANA Christian Answers for the New Age
Why Yin Yang Symbol looks like this
Yin and Yang Theory
The Yin Yang Horoscope: an accessible Chinese Astrology
Chinese Yin Yang Symbol
Feng Shui - Yin Yang
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