Yin and yang 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
Taijitu the "yin and yang symbol", itself popularly called "taijitu", represents the second of these five parts of the diagram. The term "taijitu" in modern Chinese is commonly used to mean the simple "divided circle" form (), but it may refer to any of several schematic diagrams that contain at least one circle with an inner pattern of symmetry representing yin and yang. While the concept of yin and yang dates to Chinese antiquity, the interest in "diagrams" (圖 "tú") is an intellectual fashion of Neo-Confucianism during the Song period (11th century), and it declined again in the Ming period, by