In Chinese philosophy , yin and yang ( also yin -- yang or yin yang , yīnyáng `` dark -- bright '' ) describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary , interconnected , and interdependent in the natural world , and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another . The yin yang ( i.e. taijitu symbol ) shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section .
Yin and yang do not show a balance between opposites.