9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You might have seen this symbol before,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
whether it's as a temporary tattoo

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or at a Chinese temple.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's called the yin-yang symbol.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It comes from Taoism,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a religion born in China

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it has far more meaning than you probably realize.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The yin is the dark swirl,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the yang is the light one,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and each side has a dot of the opposite color,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which gives a clue to the meaning of yin and yang.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Everything contains the seed of its opposite.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Darth Vadar has the seed of goodness,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and Luke has the potential to follow his father

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to the dark side.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Like Luke and his father,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
yin and yang are not total opposites,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they are relative to each other.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Taoists believe that the universe is made up

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of energies, vibrations, and matter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which behave differently

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in different contexts.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Something can be yin or yang

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
depending on,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
well, depending on lots of things.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, while wheat that's growing is yang,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when it's being reaped, it's yin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A wave's crest is yang,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the trough is yin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Villages on the sunny side of a valley in China

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
have names like Liuyang or Shiyang,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but on the shady side,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for example of the Yangtze River Valley,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there's Jiangyin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The brake is yin to the gas pedal's yang.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
An eggshell is yang,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the egg inside is yin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You think you're getting it?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yang is harder,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
stronger,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
brighter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and faster,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but one can turn into the other

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or are two sides of the same coin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The sunbeams are yang

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in comparison to the shadows.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The pitch is yang,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the catch is yin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The yang starts an action,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the yin receives it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
completes it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yin is the inside space of a cup,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it wouldn't be a cup without it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yang is the cup.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The coffee's heat, however, is yang,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and its blackness is yin.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yang goes berserk sometimes,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but there's some very powerful yins, too,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if they don't quite go berserk.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yin is the darker swirl, the female,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but there is a white dot in it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And yang is the lighter, the male,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but it has a black dot.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Water flowing calmly in a river is yin,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but when it goes over the waterfall,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's very yang.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Toothpicks are yin

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
compared with a telephone pole.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The back of a person is more yin

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
than the front.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The top of a person is the yang end.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Taoism teaches that there is a power in the universe.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's higher, deeper, and truer than any other force.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They call it the Tao.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It means the way.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Like the force in Star Wars,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Tao has two sides.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Unlike other religions where the higher power is all good,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and perhaps has an all-evil rival,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Taoism teaches that we need to learn

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from both yin and yang.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And unlike religions with gods that are personal,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the higher power in Taoism is not.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Taoists believe that living in harmony with the way,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a person will not have to fight

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
against the universe's natural flow.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, for example, listen more,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
argue less.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Be ready to back up or undo something,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and you will make even faster progress.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Don't worry about being the best,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
be who you are.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Live simply.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Complications take you away from the Tao.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"The wise person is flexible," Taoists say.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Learning to use the Tao

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is what Taoism is all about,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that's why you should know

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
your yin from your yang.