Yin and yang 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
Taoism in which Taoism continues to be an "order" of the larger body of Chinese religion. Laozi is traditionally regarded as one of the founders of Taoism and is closely associated in this context with "original" or "primordial" Taoism. Whether he actually existed is disputed; however, the work attributed to him—the "Tao Te Ching"—is dated to the late 4th century BCE. Taoism draws its cosmological foundations from the School of Naturalists (in the form of its main elements—yin and yang and the Five Phases), which developed during the Warring States period (4th to 3rd centuries BC). Robinet identifies four components in