Taegeukgi, the national flag of the Republic of Korea, consists of a white background, a taegeuk circle in the center and four trigrams that surround the taegeuk circle at the four corners. The white background of the Taegeukgi symbolizes light and purity and reflects the traditional affinity of the Korean people for peace. The yin-yang circle, divided equally into a blue portion below and a red portion above, represents the dual cosmic forces of yin (blue) and yang (red). It symbolizes universal harmony, in which the passive and the active, the feminine and the masculine, form the whole. The four trigrams of Geon, Gon, Gam and Li, which surround the yin-yang circle, denote the process of yin and yang going through a series of changes and growth. Geon ( ) denotes "heaven", Gon ( ) denotes "earth", Gam ( ) denotes "water" and Li ( ) denotes "fire". Collectively, these four bar symbols represents universal harmony and unity.