The symbolic structure of Yin and Yang as an integrative principle of traditional Chinese culture

The article examines the symbolic structure of Yin and Yang as a universal integrative principle of Chinese cultural tradition, ensuring the integrity of the worldview system and serving as a key mechanism for organizing cosmic and social order. Special attention is given to how the dual code of Yin and Yang forms the foundations of the traditional cosmological model, defines the nature of ontological and axiological concepts, structures the value system, and influences the ways of interpreting natural, social, and anthropological processes. The aim of the work is to reveal the role of the binary opposition of Yin and Yang in the formation and development of the Chinese cultural matrix, as well as to analyze its transformations in the context of historical dynamics, intercultural interactions, and contemporary processes of globalization. The study considers the potential of Yin–Yang as a mechanism of cultural self-regulation, ensuring the stability of tradition and its capacity for adaptation and reproduction in changing sociocultural conditions. The methodological foundation includes philosophical-cultural and comparative-philosophical analysis of classical texts, the symbolism of Taiji, and cultural practices. The transformation of Yin and Yang, the connection with the triad "Heaven – Man – Earth," and the role of dualism as a cultural meta-regulator providing a balance between tradition and innovation are explored. The novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of the symbolic structure of Yin and Yang as a methodological framework capable of integrating metaphysical, ontological, aesthetic, axiological, and socio-political dimensions of Chinese culture into a unified analytical perspective. The work demonstrates that the binary code of Yin and Yang functions not only as a philosophical category but also as a universal principle for structuring cultural practices, behavioral models, forms of collective consciousness, and mechanisms of social regulation. This approach allows for a rethinking of traditional concepts of the Chinese cultural matrix, uncovering hidden patterns in its internal dynamics and tracing the transformations of the dual principle in various historical and civilizational contexts. The results obtained have theoretical and practical significance and can be used in cultural, philosophical, sociological, anthropological, and intercultural studies related to the analysis of value systems, symbolic codes, and models of cultural adaptation.

philosophical and cultural approach, Chinese value system, Yin and Yang, symbolic structure, philosophy of culture, Chinese cultural tradition, cultural self-regulation, value system, dual principle, integrative mechanism