You might have seen this symbol before, whether it's as a temporary tattoo or at a Chinese temple.
你也许看过这个图案，可能觉得这是当下流行的刺青或是在中国的庙宇看过。
It's called the yin-yang symbol.
这个图案叫阴阳图。
It comes from Taoism, a religion born in China and it has far more meaning than you probably realize.
它来自道教，一种诞生于中国的宗教，它代表的含意可能比你想的还多。
The yin is the dark swirl, and the yang is the light one,
阴是深色的那一块，阳是淡色的那一块，
and each side has a dot of the opposite color, which gives a clue to the meaning of yin and yang.
两边各有一个颜色相反的圆点，这个点是探索阴阳含意的线索。
Everything contains the seed of its opposite.
世间万物都有相反的一面。
Darth Vadar has the seed of goodness, and Luke has the potential to follow his father to the dark side.
安纳金·天行者有善良的一面，卢克也有追随其父亲在阴暗面的潜在可能。
Like Luke and his father, yin and yang are not total opposites, they are relative to each other.
就像卢克和他的父亲，阴阳并非完全相反，它们是彼此相对的。
Taoists believe that the universe is made up of energies, vibrations, and matter, which behave differently in different contexts.
道家思想家相信宇宙是由能量、变化、物质所组成，这三者在不同的地方会有不同的作用。
Something can be yin or yang depending on, well, depending on lots of things.
万物都可以是阴或是阳，取决于，嗯，取决于很多因素。
So, while wheat that's growing is yang, when it's being reaped, it's yin.
像是，麦穗在成长的时候是阳，收割的时候就是阴。
A wave's crest is yang, and the trough is yin.
波峰是阳，波谷是阴。
Villages on the sunny side of a valley in China have names like Liuyang or Shiyang,
在中国的山谷中，向阳面的村落名字叫浏阳或石羊，
but on the shady side, for example, of the Yangtze River Valley, there's Jiangyin.
而另外一面，举例来说，长江流域另一面，有个江阴市。
The brake is yin to the gas pedal's yang.
刹车是阴，油门是阳。
An eggshell is yang, the egg inside is yin. You think you're getting it?
蛋壳是阳，里面的蛋是阴。有点儿概念了吗？
Yang is harder, stronger, brighter, and faster, but one can turn into the other or are two sides of the same coin.
阳更硬、更强、更亮、更快，但一方可以转变成另一方，就像同一枚硬币的两个面。
The sunbeams are yang in comparison to the shadows.
阳光与阴影相比是阳。
The pitch is yang, the catch is yin.
投球是阳，接球是阴。

The yang starts an action, and the yin receives it, completes it.
阳开始这个动作，而阴接受这个动作并完成它。
Yin is the inside space of a cup; it wouldn't be a cup without it.
阴是一个杯子的内部空间；没有内部空间就成不了杯子。
Yang is the cup. The coffee's heat, however, is yang, and its blackness is yin.
阳就是杯子。不过，热咖啡的热度，是阳，咖啡的深色，是阴。
Yang goes berserk sometimes, but there's some very powerful yins, too, if they don't quite go berserk.
阳有时候会比较猛烈，但有时候阴也是如此，如果两方都太平和的话。
Yin is the darker swirl, the female, but there is a white dot in it.
阴是深色的那块，代表女性，但是里面有个白点。
And yang is the lighter, the male, but it has a black dot.
阳是淡色那块，代表男性，但是里面有个黑点。
Water flowing calmly in a river is yin, but when it goes over the waterfall, it's very yang.
河流中静静的水流是阴，但是到了瀑布时就是猛烈的阳。
Toothpicks are yin compared with a telephone pole.
和电线杆相比之下，牙签是阴。
The back of a person is more yang than the front.
和正面相比之下，人的背面是阴。
The top of a person is the yang end.
人的顶部是阳性的一端。
Taoism teaches that there is a power in the universe.
道家思想告诉我们，宇宙有种能量。
It's higher, deeper, and truer than any other force. They call it the Tao. It means the way.
这种能量比其它能量更高、更深、更真实，他们称之为道。也就是方法的意思。
Like the Force in Star Wars, the Tao has two sides.
像是星际大战中的原力一样，道有两面。
Unlike other religions where the higher power is all good, and perhaps has an all-evil rival,
别于他宗说法，更高的能量就都是好的，或许有一个非常邪恶的对手。
Taoism teaches that we need to learn from both yin and yang.
道教教导我们需要同时学习阴和阳。
And unlike religions with gods that are personal, the higher power in Taoism is not.
而与有神的宗教是个人的不同的是，道教中更大的权力却不是这样。
Taoists believe that living in harmony with the way,
道家思想家相信，与道和谐共存，
a person will not have to fight against the universe's natural flow.
一个人就不用与自然波流争斗。
So, for example, listen more, argue less.
举例来说，要多听，少争辩。
Be ready to back up or undo something, and you will make even faster progress.
准备好取或舍某样事物，你就会进步得很快。
Don't worry about being the best, be who you are. Live simply.
不要担心自己不是最好的，做自己就好。简单地去生活。
Complications take you away from the Tao.
复杂会让你脱离道。
'The wise person is flexible,' Taoists say.
道家思想家说：智者能屈能伸。
Learning to use the Tao is what Taoism is all about, and that's why you should know your yin from your yang.
学习如何用道就是道家思想的精随，这也是为何你该去了解你的阴和阳。