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First, view "Tai Chi" with a normal mindset

First of all, do not overly mystify terms like "Tai Chi," "Yin," and "Yang." They are merely mathematical symbols invented by ancient people to explore things, just like X and Y in mathematics, which can be used in any mathematical proposition. If you don't like the seemingly too esoteric name "Tai Chi," you can also call it the T system, just as the Cartesian coordinate system is also called the rectangular coordinate system. Different names do not change its essence.

"Tai Chi" is a methodology for understanding and analyzing things

In nature, we often see systems composed of two seemingly contradictory and opposing elements that can balance, transform, and wax and wane each other, such as day and night, water in rivers, and man-made objects like burning candles and rotating tires. Such systems were called a "Tai Chi" in ancient times, and the symbols for their constituent elements were called "Yin" and "Yang."

The operation of Tai Chi habitually attributes dynamic, positive, bright, hot, intangible, or surface properties or elements in the system to the symbol "Yang"; while static, negative, dark, cold, tangible, or internal properties or elements are attributed to the symbol "Yin." Then, it observes and explores the interactions and processes between Yin and Yang that are both contradictory and opposing, yet balance, transform, and wax and wane each other.

The actual operation of Tai Chi involves two aspects: observation and regulation. First, observe the current state of a Tai Chi system to decide what kind of regulation to apply to it. The state is the current condition or appearance of a macroscopic system. For example, a person is a macroscopic system; crying is one state, laughing is another, and anger is yet another. Similarly, climate is also a macroscopic system; sunny days are one state, cloudy days are another, and rainy days are yet another. A Tai Chi system is composed only of Yin and Yang elements, so its possible configurations are limited: Yin-Yang balance, more Yin and less Yang, less Yin and more Yang, both Yin and Yang abundant, or both Yin and Yang scarce. Through long-term observation and argumentation, ancient people concluded that a system in a Yin-Yang balanced state is the most stable and enduring healthy state, while others are pathological. Applying appropriate regulation to a system in a pathological state can help it return to a healthy state.

Take a burning candle as an example. The wax, after burning, produces flame. The wax belongs to "Yin," and the flame belongs to "Yang."

• When the candle body is of appropriate length and the flame burns moderately, producing sufficient and lasting light, we say that the burning candle is in a very appropriate mode of operation, which is the "Yin-Yang balanced state."
• But if the candle wick is short and the flame is small, producing insufficient light, it is in an inefficient mode of operation, the "Yang deficiency state."
• If the candle wick is long, burning exceptionally brightly, but the candle body will burn out quickly and cannot last, it is in an over-burning mode of operation, called the "Yang excess state." After Yang excess, the candle body quickly shortens, turning into the "Yin deficiency state."
• When the candle's body is very short, about to burn out, and the wick has also shortened, the flame becomes smaller. Not only is the lighting efficiency weak, but it also cannot last long. This state is called the "deficiency of both yin and yang state."

Everyone hopes that the candle can burn steadily, emit moderate light, and last for a long time. Therefore, the "yin-yang balanced state" is the "healthy state" we desire, and all other states are "pathological states." For different "pathological states," we have various regulatory methods to help them return to the "healthy state." For example, for a candle in the "yang deficiency state," we can lengthen its wick to improve its burning efficiency; for a candle in the "excessive yang state," we can shorten its wick to reduce its burning rate to normal; for a candle in the "deficiency of both yin and yang state," we can thicken its body and lengthen its wick to restore its normal burning.

All operations of the Tai Chi system are as simple and clear as the above example, without any superstition or irrationality.

Some readers might wonder, how can a tire be a Tai Chi system? First, the tire itself has the form of a wheel, which we classify as "Yin," while the kinetic energy and rotation are classified as "Yang":

• When the wheel rotates at a normal speed, it does not wear excessively and can generate sufficient speed to reach the destination in time. We say such a wheel is in a "Yin-Yang balanced state," also known as the "healthy state."
• If the wheel rotates too slowly, it will take too long to reach the destination, and such a wheel is in a "Yang deficiency state."
• If the wheel rotates excessively fast, wearing out quickly, although it can reach the destination faster, the wheel's usage cannot last long. Such a wheel is in a "Yang hyperactivity state," and soon after, the wheel wears out quickly, turning into a "Yin deficiency state."
• If the wheel has been used for a long time, severely worn, and the kinetic energy is insufficient, it is called a "deficiency of both Yin and Yang state."

Wheels that are not in the "healthy state" are all "sick states" and need to be repaired in the factory.

The "Tai Chi" system is everywhere

Anything that has a tangible form and coexists with intangible energy and information, mutually reinforcing and suppressing each other, is a Tai Chi system, simply called a Tai Chi. Therefore, the Earth is a Tai Chi, a river is a Tai Chi, the ocean is a Tai Chi, a tree is a Tai Chi, the human body is a Tai Chi, and even the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, or a living cell can be called a Tai Chi.

All Tai Chi systems basically satisfy the aforementioned Tai Chi characteristics and can be subjected to similar observation and regulation. That is, Tai Chi has universality, just like Newton's mechanics formula F=ma, which can be applied to any object, regardless of its material or details. Therefore, Tai Chi is an excellent method for understanding and analyzing things in the macroscopic world, a high-level science that simplifies complexity and manages complexity with simplicity.

Compared to the symbol of "Tai Chi," the "Yin" and "Yang" that constitute Tai Chi are actually the most frequently used symbols, because the objects we often discuss and operate are still the Yin and Yang within Tai Chi, while Tai Chi is like the background, always there, and thus often overlooked. When we use the symbols of Yin and Yang, we are actually assuming that the object under discussion is a Tai Chi system, not a stubborn stone.