Things People Get Wrong About The Yin And Yang Symbol

May 2024 · 2 minute read

While Shakespeare might disagree, calling something by a wrong name is usually a mistake. The concept is called "yin and yang," not "ying and yang," as it is commonly called in the English language, according to Paul Brians. Still, there are plenty of times when this wrong name is used. There is an American saying, "up the ying-yang," or the less common "out the ying-yang," which refers to having something in large, excessive amounts, per Merriam-Webster dictionary. In these cases, "ying-yang" essentially replaces the word "anus," in case you were wondering. Fittingly, in the past, the term ying-yang could also describe things like coitus — basically anything that people were afraid to call by its real name!

For that matter, Ying is also a popular family name for Chinese immigrants living outside of China, especially those residing in the U.S., Singapore, Taiwan, or Malaysia. This is not because people named Ying are more prone to leaving their home country, but it's a consequence of biased foreign pronunciation, so last names such as Ham, Tham, Wun, or Zhen all became Ying (via My China Roots).

But even then, the yin and yang symbol is not the correct name if one talks about the most popular visual representation of the symbol. The black and white circle with two tiny black and white dots is the sacred symbol of Taoism and it is referred as "the taijitu," but is often misused in a general or commercial way, according to Ancient-Symbols. Sometimes it's called tai chi tu, translating as tai chi symbol, but this is also a misconception — the symbol is not unique to Tai Chi philosophy or the Tai Chi Chuan martial art, explains qigong practitioner Anthony Korahais.

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