The yin yang symbol is well known to the world, a circle divided by half part in black with a white dot and the other half part in white with a black dot. Those 2 parts represent the interactive movement which oppose them but also unite them to create a perfect harmony and balance in the universe. During Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), the han philosophers attempted to merge all the rival schools of thought into a single system known as the han synthesis project. They concentrated principally on the I-ching (book of changes or book of ease, the natural phenomena of the universe which explains the metaphysical functions of the entire universe) to create this new theory known |
now as yin yang or five agents school of chinese thought.
In modern chinese writing, the I-ching is represented by 2 characters 
(the first means ease or change and the second means book) like in the old one but in its original writing, the first character is symbolized by a sun (above) and a moon (below). It was an easy interpretation to philosophize about the sun (yang), the moon (yin) and the universe.
The essential of this theory is based on the fact that the universe is run by a single principle known as Tao (great ultimate) divided by 2 opposition actions (yin-yang). Yang represents the maleness, the sun, the creation, the heaven, the dominance… and Yin represents the femaleness, the moon, the cold, the darkness, the submission…
One produce the other for example yang can’t be born without yin and yin can’t give birth without yang. This movement of yang from yin and yin from yang occurs constantly and cyclically so one can’t dominate the other. It is one of the reason why in each part there is the dot of the other which means that all conditions are subject to change into their opposites.
Its symbol is a chinese representation of the entire celestial phenomena. Philosophers determined the 4 directions:
- Sunrise of the East (spring)
- Sunset of the West (fall)
- Shortest shadow of the South (summer)
- Longest shadow of the North (winter)
By using a 8 feet pole, they positioned the correct angles with 6 concentric circles. They divided it by 24 segments calculated from the length of the year (365.25 days) and started to record the length of shadow of each day. At the end, they got the following representation.
Like you can see, there is some similitude and by rotating it to the winter position, we get the famous symbol. The other reason of the dot is that yin begins at summer solstice and yang at winter solstice thus a little circle yin is inside the summer position and a little circle yang inside the winter position.
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