yīn

dark

Phonosemantic compound. and represent the sound, while and represent the meaning.

Components
阝 meaning component

  Meaning component

  

hill, place

is a component form of . Depicts hills blocking sunlight.

今 sound component

  Sound component

jīn

  

now

云 sound,meaning component

  Sound Meaning component

yún

  

clouds

Depicts clouds darkening the sky.

Evolution

陰 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
陰 Bronze script Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze script

Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
陰 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
陰 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
陰 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

yīn

'female' principle; dark; secret; overcast (weather); cloudy; shady; Yin (the negative principle of Yin and Yang); negative (electric.); feminine; moon; implicit; hidden; genitalia

() 

Yīn

surname Yin

Most common words with 陰
Freq.
Word
Meaning

cloudy

阴谋

plot

阴影

(lit. and fig.) shadow

阴道

vagina

阴性

negative

Component uses

Meaning component in 1 character (0 verified)

Sound component in 1 character (0 verified)