Definition

1. Noun:
   • Yin and Yang: The fundamental Taoist concept of two complementary, opposing, and interconnected forces that constitute all phenomena in the universe. Yin represents qualities like darkness, passivity, and femininity, while Yang represents light, activity, and masculinity.
   • This world and the afterlife / The realms of the living and the dead: A common metaphorical usage referring to the separation or duality between the physical world and the spiritual world.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Triết lý âm dương là nền tảng của văn hóa Á Đông. (The philosophy of Yin and Yang is the foundation of East Asian culture.)
  • Họ tin vào sự cân bằng giữa âm và dương. (They believe in the balance between Yin and Yang.)
  • Cái chết khiến họ âm dương cách biệt. (Death caused them to be separated by the boundary between this world and the next.)

Advanced Usage

• "xin âm dương": A traditional divination practice of tossing two coins (historically, Vietnamese sapèque coins) to seek an omen or answer. One coin representing Yin (tails) and one representing Yang (heads) is considered a favorable sign.
  • Người xưa thường xin âm dương trước khi ra quyết định quan trọng. (The ancients often performed the coin toss divination before making important decisions.)

Variants and Related Words

• Âm (n): The Yin aspect; the passive, dark, feminine principle.
• Dương (n): The Yang aspect; the active, light, masculine principle.
• Âm dương lý số (n): The study or philosophy of Yin-Yang principles and numerology.

Synonyms

• Dual forces: Two opposing yet complementary powers.
• Opposites: Two things that are completely different from each other.
• Dichotomy: A division or contrast between two things.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Âm dương đôi ngả: Literally "Yin and Yang fork onto separate paths"; meaning the living and the dead are parted, referring to separation by death.
  • Chiến tranh khiến bao gia đình âm dương đôi ngả. (The war caused many families to be separated by death.)
• Âm dương cách biệt: Literally "Yin and Yang are separated by a boundary"; meaning a permanent separation between the realms of the living and the dead.
  • Cánh cửa âm dương cách biệt không thể mở lại. (The door separating this world and the afterlife cannot be reopened.)

noun

1. Ying and Yang, opposites
   • âm dương cách biệt
     The separation between life and death
   • âm dương đôi ngả
     this world and the other world
   • xin âm dương
     to toss two coins for prophecy (one heads and one tails is a good omen)