Taijitu prior to 1686. It combines several abstract shapes, including a "Taiji" symbol illustrating the mutual complement of man and woman. In socialist times, it was alternatively interpreted as two fish symbolizing vigilance, because fish never close their eyes. The modern symbol has also been widely used in martial arts, particularly t'ai chi ch'uan (Taijiquan), and Jeet Kune Do, since the 1970s. In this context, it is generally used to represent the interplay between hard and soft techniques. The dots in the modern "yin-yang symbol" have been given the additional interpretation of "intense interaction" between the complementary principles. Similarities can be
Yang Yin Yang Yin Yang Yin (楊愔) (511–560), courtesy name Zhunyan (遵彦), nickname Qinwang (秦王), was a high-level official of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. Yang Yin came from a clan that produced many officials of Northern Wei. His father was Yang Jin, and his mother was Yang Jin's wife Lady Yuan, who came from a noble lineage herself, being the granddaughter of the famed official Yuan He. In his youth, he studied the histories, the "Shi Jing", and the "I Ching", but particularly favored the "Zuo Zhuan" version of the "Spring and Autumn Annals". In 526, during the reign of Emperor