The theory of Yin and Yang continues to be closely linked to the daily life of the Vietnamese and finds its application in all fields. Everything that is fluid, cold, humid, passive, dark, internal, immobile, of feminine essence such as the sky, the moon, the night, water, winter, is of Yin nature. Everything that is solid, warm, bright, active, external, mobile, of masculine essence such as the earth, the sun, fire, summer, is of Yang nature.
This Yin and Yang characteristic is even found in Vietnamese grammar through the use of the words « con » and « cái« . Analogous to the definite articles « le » and « la » in French, these are used to indicate gender in certain restricted cases, but one can also base their use on the « mobile » or « immobile » nature of the object they accompany to indicate its belonging to the corresponding semantic class. The word « cái » is used when the object has the « immobile » character (tĩnh vật): cái nhà (house), cái hang (cave), cái nồi (pot), etc. On the other hand, when the « mobile » state (động vật) is part of the nature of the object, the word « con » is used to precede it. This is the case for the following words: con mắt (eye), con tim (heart), con trăng (snake), con ngươi (pupil), con dao (knife), etc.
The eye moves constantly just as the heart beats. Likewise, the snake moves just like the pupil. The knife is considered by the Vietnamese as a sacred animal. It is nourished with blood, wine, and rice. The same name given to an object can lead to two different interpretations depending on the use of the word « cái » or « con. » The following example translates the mobile (con) or immobile (cái) nature of the object thuyền (or boat in French) used: Con thuyền trôi theo dòng nước (The boat moves along the water). This means that someone is making the boat move with the oar or with the engine. On the other hand, when one says « cái thuyền trôi theo dòng nước » (The boat moves along the water), the emphasis is on the fact that there is no one maneuvering the boat. It is the flow of the water that makes the boat move by itself. This notes the immobile nature of the boat. The influence of Yin and Yang is not unrelated to the way the gender is sometimes attributed to common objects. This is the case with the knife (dao): dao cái (large knife), dao đực or dao rựa (or machete). This observation was noted by Alain Thote, the French archaeologist and sinologist, in his article entitled « Origin and Early Developments of the Sword in China« : The swords of Yue enjoyed great fame in antiquity.
This is the case of the fish entrails sword that the butcher named Zhuan Zhu (Chuyên Chư) used to assassinate the Liao sovereign (Ngô Vương Liêu) of the state of Wu (nước Ngô) during the Spring and Autumn period (Xuân Thu), etc. Some swords bore a name and could be masculine or feminine. The expression « đực rựa, » often heard in conversations to refer to men, comes from the old Vietnamese custom of carrying machetes when going out.
The association of sexes has also been visible for a long time in Vietnam in rice cultivation: the man plows and the woman transplants. The plowshare that pierces the earth (âm) (Yin) symbolizes the male sex (Yang) (dương), while through transplanting, the woman transmits her fertilizing power (âm) (Yin) to the rice plants (dương) (Yang). To denote the perfect harmony in the union of Yin and Yang, it is customary to say in Vietnamese: United, husband and wife can scoop all the water from the Eastern Sea. (thuận vợ thuận chồng tát biển Đông cũng cạn).
Being rice farmers, the Proto-Vietnamese were attached not only to the land but also to the environment because, thanks to natural phenomena (rain, sun, wind, clouds, etc.), they could have good harvests or not. Extensive rice cultivation by slash-and-burn or in naturally flooded fields depended on climate uncertainties. That is why they needed to live in harmony with nature.
They considered themselves the link between Heaven and Earth (Thiên-Nhân-Địa). Based on this notion, it is common to say in Vietnamese: Thiên Thời, Địa Lợi, Nhân Hòa (being aware of weather conditions, knowing the terrain well, and having popular support or national harmony). These are the three key factors of victory often referenced by Vietnamese strategists (Trần Hưng Đạo, Nguyễn Trãi, Quang Trung) in their struggle against foreign invaders. The Vietnamese take this triad (Tam Tài) into account in their way of thinking and daily life.
For them, there is no doubt that this notion has an undeniable influence on the person themselves: their destiny is dictated by the will of Heaven and depends on their birth date. With the external and internal environment of their dwelling, they can receive the harmful or beneficial breath (qi) generated by the earth. The art of harmonizing the environmental energy of one’s place of residence allows one to minimize troubles and promote well-being and health. A flat terrain without undulations or hills is lifeless and lacks qi breath (Khí). The Vietnamese call hills and mountains Dragons and Tigers. Buildings should have a green dragon to the west and a white tiger to the east. The benevolent Dragon must be more powerful than the Tiger (Hữu Thanh Long, Tã Bạch Hổ) that is to say the Dragon mountain must be higher than the Tiger hill. The notion of harmony takes on its full meaning when a site backed by a mountain and surrounded on two sides by chains of hills that protect it from winds dispersing the Chi (or cosmic energy) gives access to a lake or a river where there is water and food essential for life and the accumulation of cosmic energies (Chi).
This model can be found in the case of the historic city or citadel of Huế (Kinh thành Huế). It is oriented towards the south because in the Yi King it is written: the one who governs the country must look towards the south « Thánh nhân nam diện nhi thính thiên hạ thí » (the king turns his face to the south to rule the world). The enclosure of this citadel is a defensive construction with a military character based on the fortress technique of the famous engineer Vauban and encompassing near its southern front the imperial city bounded by a second rectangular enclosure measuring 622×606 meters. Inside this is the purple forbidden city forming the symbolic heart of the empire within a third and last almost square enclosure of 330×324 meters. The interlocking of these three enclosures refers to the Triad (Heaven, Man, Earth).
The southern front of the citadel, where the Meridian Gate is located, follows a convex path along the Perfume River. Resembling a dragon lying in the West, it undulates and rises towards the North, weaving through small hills and making a 90° bend to the East. It first reaches the protective islands of Dã Viên and Cồn Hến before joining the sea. This creates an ideal position (Chi Huyền Thủy) in accordance with the scheme described above, with a green dragon to the East and a white tiger to the West represented respectively by the shell islands (Cồn Hến) and Dã Viên, facing a natural screen symbolized by the Royal Screen Mountain (Núi Ngự Bình).
Man can act and influence his own life. By performing benevolent acts towards others, he can find happiness and improve his karma. In the past, there was a Nam Giao or Tế Giao ceremony in Vietnam, organized every year by the court of Hué in honor of Heaven and Earth. It is the emperor’s privilege to annually associate his deified ancestors with the homage paid to Heaven and Earth on a monumental esplanade built in 1806 in the southern suburbs of Huế because he is the son of Heaven. There are three levels corresponding to the triad: Heaven, Representative (emperor), Earth (Thiên, Nhân, Địa).
Each level has its own shape and a different color: the sky is spherical and the earth square (trời tròn đất vuông), thiên thanh địa hoàng (the sky is light blue and the earth yellow). Previously subjected to isolation and fasting, the emperor ascended the esplanade of sacrifices and acted on behalf of his people to ask the natural forces of the universe to improve the environment on earth. The emperor is the only figure qualified to be the intermediary between Heaven and Earth. This triad (Thiên, Nhân, Địa) has often been mentioned in Vietnamese legends.
In the legend of the « The God of Mountains and the God of Rivers (Sơn Tinh Thủy Tinh) » there is a girl named Mi Nương who is sought in marriage by these two spirits, or in the legend of the Kitchen genius myth (Chuyện Táo quân), the woman is torn between the love of her former husband and that of the new one. In the legend of the « Betel Quid, » the triad (wife, husband, younger brother) is represented by the woman, her husband, and her twin brother who, once deceased, respectively become the betel leaf, the areca nut, and the lime stone. The betel quid well reflects the notion of balance and harmony found in the theory of Yin and Yang. To prepare the betel quid, a little slaked lime is spread on a betel leaf.
Then, orange-yellow colored root bark of Artocarpus tonkinese is added, and finally a betel nut finely sliced is incorporated. The whole mixture is placed in the mouth and slowly chewed. After about twenty minutes of chewing, the remaining quid is spit out. The five tastes can be found in the betel quid: sweet from the betel nut, spicy from the betel leaf, bitter from the root, salty from the lime, and sour from the saliva. Through the image of the fresh betel vine emerging from the earth symbolized by the lime stone and entwining the slender areca palm trunk in this legend, one wants to note the character of the perfect balance between Yin (Earth) and Yang (Heaven) in perfect harmony. The betel quid is the prelude to every conversation (Miếng trầu là đầu câu chuyện), as often said in an old Vietnamese proverb. Acceptance carries deep meaning and amounts to a firm commitment, a given word that no one would think to take back. If the exchange occurs between a girl and a boy, it is equivalent to a proposal of marriage or union. In Vietnamese tradition, the betel quid is a symbol of conjugal happiness. It cannot be missing from marriage rites.
In the civilization of wet rice cultivation, there are other trinities as important as the triad (Heaven, Man, Earth). This is the case with the triad (Thủy, Hỏa, Thổ) (or (in French Water-Fire-Earth)) or the triad (Mộc, Kim, Thổ) (or Wood, Metal, Earth). We need the earth for rice cultivation, water, and fertilizers derived from ashes caused by fire to fertilize the soil. Similarly, plants are used for food and metals to make appropriate tools for agriculture. We notice that these triads have a common element, which is earth. That is why it occupies a central place in the management of the four cardinal points. It is the pivot around which the other four elements revolve. In agricultural life, the most important element after earth is water. It is the phrase: Nhất nước nhì phân (First water, second fertilizer) often heard from a Vietnamese farmer. Since water has a Yin nature, it is attributed to the North direction because it is compatible with cold (winter). On the other hand, being Yang in nature, the fire element of the triad (Thủy, Hỏa, Thổ) is better associated with the South direction with heat and radiation (summer). The wood element clearly recalls plants whose birth often takes place in spring. It is associated with occupying the west direction with the growth of Yang. As for the metal element, which is malleable and can take different forms, it is associated with the east direction, which is linked to autumn.
The Vietnamese find in the theory of Yin and Yang an idea of alternation rather than opposition. Yin and its complementary element Yang form an entity that allows for the establishment of a good balance and harmony. For them, the world represents a totality of cyclic orders constituted by the combination of two alternating and complementary manifestations. It is known that in an opposing relationship, both Yin and Yang each carry the seed of the other within themselves. (Nothing is completely Yin or completely Yang; within Yin there is Yang and within Yang there is Yin). Yin and Yang are considered as the wheel of a chariot. Having reached their end, they begin again. Once their limit is reached, they return again.
A set of popular sayings reflecting the law of causality concretely testify to the mutation of Yin and Yang. That is why it is customary to say in Vietnamese « Trong rũi có may » (In misfortune, there will be luck), « Trong dỡ có hay » (In what seems bad, there is also something good), « Trong họa có phúc » (In misfortune, there will always be happiness). « Sướng lắm khổ nhiều » (The more satisfied the desire, the more one will suffer), « Trèo cao ngã đau » (The higher you climb, the more painful the fall). « Yêu nhau nhiều cắn nhau đau » (The more we love each other, the more we hurt each other). Lost possessions are therefore sometimes the ransom of a human life. This is clearly expressed by the Vietnamese proverb: Của đi thay người (possessions go away instead of people). The factors Phúc (happiness) and Họa (misfortune) must vary inversely to each other.
It is thanks to this Yin and Yang bipolarity that the Vietnamese are accustomed to seeking a good balance in daily life. They try to find perfect harmony with everyone and with nature even beyond their death. This was discovered in the Lạch Trương necropolis (Thanh Hóa), dating back to 3 centuries before Christ, with wooden burial objects (Yang) placed in the North (Yin) and those made of terracotta (Yin) in the South (Yang).
This notion of balance can even be found in the pagoda with the spirits of good and evil (Ông Thiện Ông Ác). It is thanks to this philosophy of balance that the Vietnamese have the ability to adapt to all situations, even in extreme cases. It is also this principle of balance that Vietnamese leaders have continued to uphold in the past during confrontations with foreign countries. To avoid the humiliation of the Mongols, who were defeated twice in Vietnam, General Trần Hưng Ðạo proposed paying tribute to Kubilai Khan in exchange for lasting peace. After defeating the Ming Chinese, Nguyễn Trãi, the strategic advisor to King Lê Lợi, did not hesitate to allow Wang Tong (Vương Thông) to return to China with 13,000 captured soldiers and proposed a vassalage pact with a triennial tribute of two medium-sized statues made of fine metal as compensation for two generals who died in battle, Liou Cheng (Liễu Thăng) and Leang Minh (Lương Minh). Similarly, King Quang Trung showed humility and agreed to send an envoy to Emperor Qianlong to seek peace after crushing the Qing army at Hanoi in 1788 within a very short time (6 days).
We must not forget either the conduct and flexibility demonstrated by the communist leaders in diplomacy during the confrontation with the French and the Americans. The Geneva (1954) and Paris (1972) agreements once again testify to the search for balance or the middle way ingeniously found by the Vietnamese in the theory of Yin and Yang.
In Vietnam, spherical objects (tròn) are integrated into Yang, and square-shaped ones (vuông) into Yin. This tendency dates back to a time when it was believed that the sky was spherical and the earth was square because the ancient Vietnamese had to square the land before they could use it for plowing and building houses. It was in this mindset that the Bai Yue (of which the Proto-Vietnamese were a part) used to divide a portion of land into nine lots based on the character 井 tĩnh (giếng nước, meaning water well). The central lot was designated for building a water well, and the remaining eight lots were intended for constructing houses, thus forming the first housing unit in agricultural society.
The following Vietnamese popular saying: trời xanh như tán lọng tròn; đất kia chằn chặn như bàn cờ vuông (The blue sky is like a round parasol; the earth is firm like a square chessboard) reflects this belief well.The Proto-Vietnamese knew that the sky was round and the earth was square to distinguish between the round aspect of the sky at the moment of its existence (thể) and the square aspect of the earth at the moment of its use (dụng).
Bibilography
–Alain Thote: Origine et premiers développements de l’épée en Chine.
–Cung Ðình Thanh: Trống đồng Ðồng Sơn : Sự tranh luận về chủ quyền trống đồng giữa học giã Việt và Hoa.Tập San Tư Tưởng Tháng 3 năm 2002 số 18.
-Brigitte Baptandier : En guise d’introduction. Chine et anthropologie. Ateliers 24 (2001). Journée d’étude de l’APRAS sur les ethnologies régionales à Paris en 1993.
-Nguyễn Từ Thức : Tãn Mạn về Âm Dương, chẳn lẻ (www.anviettoancau.net)
-Trần Ngọc Thêm: Tìm về bản sắc văn hóa Việt-Nam. NXB : Tp Hồ Chí Minh Tp HCM 2001.
-Nguyễn Xuân Quang: Bản sắc văn hóa việt qua ngôn ngữ việt (www.dunglac.org)
-Georges Condominas : La guérilla viêt. Trait culturel majeur et pérenne de l’espace social vietnamien, L’Homme 2002/4, N° 164, p. 17-36.
-Louis Bezacier: Sur la datation d’une représentation primitive de la charrue. (BEFO, année 1967, volume 53, pages 551-556) …..
