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New Approaches to Asian History
Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture
The concept of yinyang lies at the heart of Chinese thought and culture. The relationship between these two opposing, yet mutually dependent, forces is symbolized in the familiar black and white symbol that has become an icon in popular culture across the world. The real significance of yinyang is, however, more complex and subtle. This brilliant and comprehensive analysis by one of the leading authorities in the field captures the richness and multiplicity of the meanings and applications of yinyang, including its visual presentations. Through a vast range of historical and textual sources, the book examines the scope and role of yinyang, the philosophical significance of its various layers of meanings, and its relation to numerous schools and traditions within Chinese (and Western) philosophy. By putting yinyang on a secure and clear philosophical footing, the book roots the concept in the original Chinese idiom, distancing it from Western assumptions, frameworks, and terms, yet also seeking to connect its analysis to shared cross-cultural philosophical concerns. In this way, the book illuminates not only a particular way of thinking, but also shows how yinyang thought has manifested itself concretely in a wide range of cultural practices, ranging from divination to medicine, and from the art of war to the art of sex.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 15, 2020
This is fantastic. It is a scholarly piece but far from a deadening treatise. Lots of wisdom to be found in this book. It goes incredibly deep. Highly recommend!
November 2, 2014
An absolutely brilliant work of deep, sympathetic scholarship.
As a longtime student of Chinese philosophy - and the practical application of those philosophies in martial arts - I'd thought I knew something about Yingyang. This book made me realize both how little I actually did know about the concept - but more importantly, how little I was able to put into practice. Dr. Wang's extremely wide ranging scholarship illumines Yinyang in a way I've never seen - and makes the concept a part of one's lived experience, and not simply an interesting philosophical idea. My only reason for 4 rather than 5 stars is I feel the book over emphasizes Daoism, without giving sufficient attention to the Confucian tradition - but that's not uncommon. And a few areas could stand more aggressive editing.
As a longtime student of Chinese philosophy - and the practical application of those philosophies in martial arts - I'd thought I knew something about Yingyang. This book made me realize both how little I actually did know about the concept - but more importantly, how little I was able to put into practice. Dr. Wang's extremely wide ranging scholarship illumines Yinyang in a way I've never seen - and makes the concept a part of one's lived experience, and not simply an interesting philosophical idea. My only reason for 4 rather than 5 stars is I feel the book over emphasizes Daoism, without giving sufficient attention to the Confucian tradition - but that's not uncommon. And a few areas could stand more aggressive editing.
August 24, 2020
"Duality is always secretly unity."
The simple way of putting this is that nothing is known without implicitly knowing and understanding its opposite.
Good is not good without the existence, knowing, and understanding of something else we called Evil.
Kindness and Cruelty. Positive and negative poles of a magnet. But it’s not just that we know and understand two separate things. The idea is that the very existence of the two parts of a duality depends on each other. If one goes, the other just disappears from existence or never comes into existence to begin with.
The simple way of putting this is that nothing is known without implicitly knowing and understanding its opposite.
Good is not good without the existence, knowing, and understanding of something else we called Evil.
Kindness and Cruelty. Positive and negative poles of a magnet. But it’s not just that we know and understand two separate things. The idea is that the very existence of the two parts of a duality depends on each other. If one goes, the other just disappears from existence or never comes into existence to begin with.
October 4, 2020
Wisdom from China
We have so much to learn from them. Sharing wisdom, instead of constant power struggle, with move us all forward.
We have so much to learn from them. Sharing wisdom, instead of constant power struggle, with move us all forward.
November 15, 2023
From an history of philosophy perspective, what I found exciting, was learning that yinyang philosophical claims are, in fact, rarely if at all present in classic Confucian texts like the Analects, Mengzi, and Xunzi. I've noticed this reading these texts, but often wondered why. I didn't know if it was a quirk of translation, or a legitimate absence. It's the latter!
The reason for this is probably because yinyang schools of thought were more popular contemporary rivals to the early Confucian philosophical tradition. (36) It would be left up to later Confucians like Dong Zhongsu to fully integrate yinyang thought in Confucianism. (107)
In other words, yinyang was its own school of thought in the Warring States period, a popular rival to Confucianism, and in later generations after the end of the Warring States period, these two different traditions were merged. This is why later Confucians seem far more interested in yinyang even though it rarely directly comes up in the classic texts.
Otherwise, I enjoyed reading how other philosophical notions like qi and the Daoist notions of wuwei related to the concept of yinyang throughout the history of Chinese philosophy. Like most academic works, this isn't really a pleasure to read, but it is an excellent work on yinyang.
The reason for this is probably because yinyang schools of thought were more popular contemporary rivals to the early Confucian philosophical tradition. (36) It would be left up to later Confucians like Dong Zhongsu to fully integrate yinyang thought in Confucianism. (107)
In other words, yinyang was its own school of thought in the Warring States period, a popular rival to Confucianism, and in later generations after the end of the Warring States period, these two different traditions were merged. This is why later Confucians seem far more interested in yinyang even though it rarely directly comes up in the classic texts.
Otherwise, I enjoyed reading how other philosophical notions like qi and the Daoist notions of wuwei related to the concept of yinyang throughout the history of Chinese philosophy. Like most academic works, this isn't really a pleasure to read, but it is an excellent work on yinyang.
October 3, 2022
Born and raised in Hong Kong, some of the concepts were not new to me. I read this book in order to get a deeper and more precise understanding of the Yinyang theory. The book does not disappoint me. The author used words and wording meticulously to convey the meaning. I like this book better than other commentaries written in Chinese by contemporary authors for its clarity and readability. The extensive list of references allows you to dig deeper if so desired. Five of the 6 chapters have improved my understanding on the topics. I only have trouble to fully appreciate the last chapter which could be due to the difficulty of the subject matter itself.
August 21, 2018
Way too academic, when it should have used yin/yang to explain
May 7, 2019
Read this for "religion of far east class" and I liked it (for a textbook) lol
November 28, 2019
Very educational!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews