yin-yang symbol

Called the “Image of the Great Ultimate” (Ch. taijitu), the yin-yang symbol shows two interlocking colors (usually black and white) that swirl together to form a circle. In Daoism and more cosmological forms of Confucianism, this symbol represents the interlocked forces of yang (the sun, light, male, active) and yin (the moon, dark, female, passive) that form the basic complementary pattern of the universe. The yin-yang symbol is often found at the center of Chinese talismans and other protective imagery.