I was re-reading Faith Hunter’s Curse on the Land, and two of the characters got into a “discussion” of the definitions of yin-yang and yingyang, and naturally, I was curious.
Yinyang is a Chinese philosophy with two complementary principles: Yin is negative, dark, and feminine while Yang is positive, bright, and masculine. Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it.
In other words, yin and yang are the opposite of each other: black and white, cold and hot, dark and light, moon and sun, negative and positive . . . you get the idea.
Ying-yang has nothing to do with yinyang. It’s mostly commonly one of two phrases: up the ying-yang or out the ying-yang and is primarily about a lot or an abundance.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Yinyang | Ying yang |
|---|---|
Yin and Yang Symbol a vector created with Inkscape by Klem, and then manually edited by Mnmazur is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — The Yin and Yang symbol with white representing Yang and black representing Yin. |
Bank Notes is under the CC0 license, via Hippopx. — Whoa . . . whoever owns this briefcase has money up the ying yang. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| yin 1 and yang 2
Nouns Plural: yin-yang Preferred spelling: yinyang, yin and yang |
Noun
Plural: ying-yang, ying yang Alternate spelling: ying-yang, ying yang |
| yin
[In Chinese philosophy] The passive female principle of the universe, characterized as female and sustaining and associated with earth, dark, and cold 1 yang [In Chinese philosophy] The active male principle of the universe, characterized as male and creative and associated with heaven, heat, and light 2 |
[US slang] Anus, wazoo
In very large amounts In excess Abundance |
| Examples: | |
| “Back in June, Fan’s production company denied Fan had ever a signed a ‘yinyang’ contract, so named because of its dual natures” (Mystery).
“Although the value square can conclusively be traced back in western philosophical history (Schulz von Thun 2015), it also contains traces of the yinyang concept of early Chinese philosophy” (Tensions). “Many natural dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang” (Yin). “Since there are a True Yin and a True Yang, there are necessarily a false Yin and a false Yang. The True Yin and Yang come forth from the precelestial, and operate within the Great Ultimate (taiji). The false Yin and Yang come forth from the postcelestial, and are stored within the body.” (Yiming). |
It’s got cachet up the ying yang!
Texas has bluebonnets out the ying yang this time of year. “When you have money up the ying-yang, you have go-fers, and you send them” (Steinberg). “’There are transitional fossils out the ying-yang,’ says Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education” (Tyrangiel). Oh, man, you’ll be paying up the ying yang. I have orders up the ying-yang to pack and ship today. |
| History of the Word: | |
|
1968. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Yin-yang versus Ying-yang
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Apple Dictionary.com
The Free Dictionary: yin and yang
“Mystery Around Disappearance of Chinese Star Fan Bingbing.” Manila Bulletin. 24 Sept 2018. Web. 4 Nov 2022. <https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mystery+around+disappearance+of+Chinese+star+Fan+Bingbing-a0555494170>.
Steinberg, Neil. “Ernie Banks: One of a Vanishing Breed – One of Us.” The Chicago Sun-Times. 27 Jan 2015. Web. 4 Nov 2022. <https://chicago.suntimes.com/2015/1/27/18477361/ernie-banks-one-of-a-vanishing-breed-one-of-us>.
“Tensions in Creative Products: Using the Value Square to Model Functional Creativity.” The International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving. Oct 2017. Web. 4 Nov 2022. <https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Tensions+in+Creative+Products%3A+Using+the+Value+Square+to+Model…-a0533556212>.
Tyrangiel, Josh. Time. 10 June 2000. Web. 4 Nov 2022.
Wang, Robin R. “Yinyang (Yin-yang).” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. n.d. Web. 4 Nov 2022. <https://iep.utm.edu/yinyang/#H1>.
Yiming, Liu. Fabrizio Pregadio (trans). Cultivating the Tao: Taoism and Internal Alchemy (Xiuzhen houbian). Golden Elixir Press, 2013. <https://amzn.to/3FNIk6s>. Print.
“Yin and Yang.” Wikipedia. 15 Oct 2022. Web. 4 Nov 2022. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Balance by Justin Good is under the CC BY 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. Traffic Lights in Abundance by Garrett is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
