brynndragon: (Default)
benndragon ([personal profile] brynndragon) wrote2006-05-30 12:28 am

Baby steps

I'm trying to better understand the concepts of yin, yang, and qi. Here's a small attempt, a baby step toward comprehension:

If yang and yin are as two children on a see-saw, always in balance and always in motion, where is qi? Qi can be found in three places. Qi is the fulcrum of the see-saw, the center-point that both defines the balance between yin and yang and allows for their constant motion. Qi is the force that causes the sea-saw to move, generated by the conflict and cooperation of yin and yang. Finally, qi is the sea-saw itself, the connection between yin and yang without which the dynamic force of their movement could not exist.

[identity profile] agnosticoracle.livejournal.com 2006-05-30 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
If you talk about yin and yang being in balance or there being an excess of on or the other, then there must a way to measure them. Otherwise how could you honestly say whether they were in balance or which one was in excess?

[identity profile] benndragon.livejournal.com 2006-05-30 03:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Before I could either answer that question or explain why the question is wrong I would need to know what yin, yang, and qi are. Since most of the point of this post is the fact that I have barely begun the process of wrapping my head around those concepts, it would be impossible for me to do so at this time (if ever - I'm beginning to get the impression that understanding these concepts is tantamount to understanding quantum mechanics).

[identity profile] agnosticoracle.livejournal.com 2006-05-30 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
According to acupuncturetoday.com Yin and Yang are both types of Qi: "Yang [qi] is generally associated with items or concepts that are bright, warm, and in motion (example male). Yin [qi] is generally associated with objects or ideas that are dark, still and cold (example female)."

link (http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/yinyang.html)

[identity profile] benndragon.livejournal.com 2006-05-30 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah right, the fourth place that I forgot in my analogy: in the children themselves, as in all of the ten thousand[1] things that make up the world. Thanks for pointing out the oversight.

[1] ancient chinese equivalent of infinite

[identity profile] agnosticoracle.livejournal.com 2006-05-30 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
But I'm still wondering how you'd be able to measure the ratio yin qi vs yang qi in an individual so you could honestly say if they were balanced or one was in excess.

[identity profile] benndragon.livejournal.com 2006-05-30 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
In four and a half years, I'll let you know :).