yǐnyìn

drink

Simplified form of . Pictograph of a person with an open mouth () drinking from a wine vessel (). also represents the sound. The (wine) component and the open mouth was later reanalyzed as (eat).

Components
饣 iconic component

  Iconic component

shí

  

eat

is a component form of . Used here to depict an open mouth drinking from a wine vessel (). Later reanalyzed as (eat).

欠 sound,iconic component

  Sound Iconic component

qiàn

  

yawn, deficient

Depicts a person bending over with their mouth open.

Evolution

饮 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
饮 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
饮 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

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

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
饮 Traditional script Modern

Traditional script

Modern
饮 Simplified script Modern

Simplified script

Modern
Definitions

() 

yǐn

drink; swallow; kind of drink; to drink

() 

yìn

to give (animals) water to drink

() 

yǐn

old variant of |[yǐn]

Most common words with 饮
Freq.
Word
Meaning

饮料

drink

饮食

diet

to drink

餐饮

catering

饮酒

to drink wine