Quiz questions
According to the book’s introduction, what best describes the yin-yang principle in Chinese thought?
- Complementary, interdependent forces that shape the cosmos, nature, and human life
- Two opposing, mutually exclusive forces in constant conflict
- A static hierarchy with yang always superior to yin
- A pair of deities worshiped to control nature
How does the chapter on the meaning and formation of yinyang explain its origin?
- It began exclusively as a mathematical or technical system
- It grew from observable contrasts (light/dark, hot/cold) into a unified relational theory
- It was introduced into China by foreign traders
- It was coined by a single philosopher as a political metaphor
In which early sources does the book say yinyang is prominently used to shape cosmological models?
- Primarily in legal codes and administrative records
- Texts such as the I Ching, early cosmological writings, and ritual manuals
- Only in late imperial poetry and novels
- Exclusively in folk tales and oral traditions
What role do numbers and calendrical systems play in the book’s account of yinyang?
- Numerical and calendrical schemes (cycles, stems-and-branches, five phases) codify and embody yinyang relations
- They are irrelevant; yinyang is purely metaphorical and not systematized numerically
- They were adopted from Western astronomy during the Ming dynasty
- They were used only for divination and never for timekeeping
Which best captures the book’s claim about the domains where yinyang functions?
- It is limited to medical theory and bodily physiology
- It is confined to ritual timing and divination practices
- It is a multifunctional paradigm shaping medicine, ritual, calendrical practice, politics, ethics, and social institutions
- It is merely a minor popular belief without institutional impact
Active recall prompts
According to the book’s introduction, what best describes the yin-yang principle in Chinese thought?
How does the chapter on the meaning and formation of yinyang explain its origin?
In which early sources does the book say yinyang is prominently used to shape cosmological models?
What role do numbers and calendrical systems play in the book’s account of yinyang?
What is the main idea of "Introduction: The Way of Heaven and Earth", and how would you explain it without looking back?
What is the main idea of "1. The Meaning and Formation of Yinyang", and how would you explain it without looking back?
What is the main idea of "2. Yinyang in Early Texts and Cosmology", and how would you explain it without looking back?
What is the main idea of "3. Yinyang, Numbers, and Time", and how would you explain it without looking back?