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Taijitu (the Grand Terminus)

In China, “yin” and “yang” were considered to be the basic law of the universe. “Yin” and “yang” represented not only darkness and brightness, but also female and male, and gentleness and stableness. The balance of “yin” and “yang” is very important. They have always been in a state of incessant changes.

“Taijitu” is the best presentation of the movements of “yin” and “yang” with the black for “yin” and the white for “yang”. The two dots in “Taijitu” symbolize the idea that when one of the two forces reaches its extreme, the seed of its opposite has already been born.

This philosophy was further developed by Zhou Dunyi, a philosopher of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD). He advanced the theory of “taiji” (the absolute), holding that “taiji” was the most primeval and most absolute entity, and its movement and stillness created everything in the universe. Zhou was quoted as saying that the way of heaven lay in “yin” and “yang”; the way of the earth consisted of flexibility and strength; and the way of men depended on humanity and justice. His teaching prepared the theoretical foundation for neo-Confucianism that prospered during the Song and Ming dynasties.

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