Yin and Yang

The Two Forces

At the heart of Vietnamese cosmology — and all of Eastern philosophy — is a single insight: everything in existence is composed of two complementary forces. Yin (Âm) and Yang (Dương) are not opposites that fight each other. They are opposites that define each other. Light only exists in relation to darkness. Rest only makes sense after activity. The symbol captures this perfectly: each half contains a small circle of the other, because neither can exist in its pure, absolute form. One always holds the seed of the other.

Neither Is Superior

One of the most important principles of Yin and Yang is that neither force is better than the other. Yang energy — active, outward, warm — is not inherently preferable to Yin energy — receptive, inward, cool. The universe requires both in equal measure to function. A person who is entirely Yang burns out. A person who is entirely Yin stagnates. The goal, in both cosmology and in life, is not to choose a side — it is to understand your natural orientation and cultivate the qualities of the other when you need them.

In the Vietnamese Zodiac, Yin and Yang are assigned to each of the twelve animals, the five elements, and the ten Heavenly Stems. Together they form the sixty-year cycle that gives every year in the Vietnamese calendar its unique name and character.

Yin & Yang in the Zodiac

Each animal in the zodiac has a natural Yin or Yang quality. The Rat is Yang; the Buffalo is Yin. The Tiger is Yang; the Cat is Yin — and so on, alternating through the twelve signs. Your personal polarity, determined by your birth year, interacts with your animal's natural quality to add yet another layer of nuance to your reading. A naturally Yang Tiger born in a Yin year is a different creature from a Yang Tiger born in a Yang year — more internal, more deliberate, more willing to wait.

Determining Your Yin or Yang

Your personal polarity is determined by the last digit of your birth year:

For example: born in 1986, last digit 6 (even) — you are Yang. Born in 1991, last digit 1 (odd) — you are Yin. Born in 2000, last digit 0 — Yang. Born in 2003, last digit 3 — Yin.