Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
yin and yang \yin and yang\, n. (Chinese philosophy)
the two fundamental principles, one negative, dark, passive,
cold, wet, and feminine (yin) and the other (yang) positive,
bright, active, dry, hot and masculine. The interactions and
balance of these forces in people and nature influence their
behavior and fate.
--[RHUD]
Wikipedia
In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (also yin-yang or yin yang, yīnyáng "dark—bright") describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Many tangible dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine, and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, taijiquan (t'ai chi), and qigong (Chi Kung), as well as appearing in the pages of the I Ching.
Duality is found in many belief systems, but Yin and Yang are parts of a Oneness that is also equated with the Tao. A term has been coined dualistic-monism or dialectical monism. 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. 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 of the observation. The yin yang (i.e. taijitu symbol) shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section.
In Taoist metaphysics, distinctions between good and bad, along with other dichotomous moral judgments, are perceptual, not real; so, the duality of yin and yang is an indivisible whole. In the ethics of Confucianism on the other hand, most notably in the philosophy of Dong Zhongshu ( 2nd century BC), a moral dimension is attached to the idea of yin and yang.
Yin and Yang are the titles of two separate compilation albums by Fish co-released in 1995. They are a retrospective on Fish's four solo albums and four albums with Marillion.
Yin and Yang were released on Fish's independent label Dick Bros Record Company. There also was a "radio edits" promotional release containing eight tracks, each with a roughly one-minute-long introduction spoken by Fish. This CD was also available as a fan-club mail-order edition.
Usage examples of "yin and yang".
The Empress Dowager had been seriously hurt and her breathing was unsettled and would take some time to regulate: in a situation like this it was possible, by correctly applying the principles of Yin and Yang, to so drain a person of their strength that they might actually die.
At one point an attempt was made to get me to write down a complex engineering principle that was shown me in the form of a round motor with twin rotating wheels, opposed in direction, much as yin and yang in Taoism alternate as opposing pairs (and much like Empedocles saw love versus strife, the dialectic interaction of the world).
The cats were asleep in the Morris chair, curled up like Yin and Yang, and Qwilleran did not disturb them.
It's yin and yang, the oldest symbol known to mana circle divided in two by the S-shaped line inside of it, one half light, one half dark.
We need to realize there can be a balance between Art and Engineering, Rhyme and Reason, Yin and Yang.
The eight tuning forks, yin and yang, were allowing the Yu to perform a song unheard in three thousand years.
The Jade Gate and the One-Eyed Monk are truly yin and yang, truly everlasting, truly godlike, both insatiable however much one consumes the other.
These choices, like the perpetual Yin and Yang of the ancient Tao itself, would determine Chung Kuo's future.
Mostly he was appalled--gai-jin were like monsters in the shape of men who had come from the stars, their ideas and attitudes the wrong side of yin and yang.
Between the three are found the major expressions of yin and yang.
Heaven is yang, Earth is yin and Humanity sits between them, composed of both yin and yang, of the Earth yet in touch with Heaven.