peace and war; order and chaos
A formal, somewhat literary compound used to contrast states of peace/order with war/chaos. Often appears in historical or philosophical contexts.
The rise and fall of order and chaos is a constant in history.
この書は治乱の理を説いている。
This book explains the principles of order and chaos.
Compound of 治 (order, peace) and 乱 (disorder, war). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common Chinese-derived pattern of contrasting states.