陰陽

See also: 阴阳

Chinese

		(of weather) overcast; Yin; feminine (of weather) overcast; Yin; feminine; moon; cloudy; negative (electric.); shady	positive (electric.); sun; male
trad. (陰陽)		陰	陽
simp. (阴阳)		阴	阳
Literally: “moonlight (dark) and sunlight (light)”.

Etymology

As a compound, first attested in the Yong yu (永盂) bronze inscription of the mid-Western Zhou, where it is used as a geographical term denoting the shaded and sunlit sides of the Luo River.

益公入即命于天子，公廼出厥命，賜畀師永厥田：陰陽洛，疆遝師俗父田。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

益公入即命于天子，公廼出厥命，赐畀师永厥田：阴阳洛，疆遝师俗父田。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Yong yu (永盂) inscription, mid-Western Zhou

Yìgōng rù jí mìng yú tiānzǐ, gōng nǎi chū jué mìng, cì bì shī Yǒng jué tián: yīnyáng Luò, jiāng dá shī Súfù tián. [Pinyin]

Yi Gong entered [the court] and received the command from the Son of Heaven. The Duke then went forth [to deliver] his command, bestowing upon Shi Yong his fields at Yinyang Luo, whose boundaries adjoin the fields of Shi Sufu.

Yin later came to be associated with "female, dark, soft, passive, etc.", and yang later came to be associated with "male, light, hard, active, etc.".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): yīnyáng

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄣ ㄧㄤˊ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): yin¹ yang²

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jam¹ joeng⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): yîm-yòng

  (Hailu, HRS): rhim^ˋ rhong

  (Meixian, Guangdong): yim¹ yong²

• Eastern Min (BUC): ĭng-iòng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): ing¹ yorng² / ing¹ yoeng²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): im-iông / im-iâng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): im¹ iang⁵

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹in-yan

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yīnyáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄣ ㄧㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yinyáng
    • Wade–Giles: yin¹-yang²
    • Yale: yīn-yáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: inyang
    • Palladius: иньян (inʹjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /in⁵⁵ jɑŋ³⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: yin¹ yang²
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: injang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /in⁵⁵ iaŋ²¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jam¹ joeng⁴
    • Yale: yām yèuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jam¹ joeng⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yem¹ yêng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐm⁵⁵ jœːŋ²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yîm-yòng
    • Hakka Romanization System: im^ˊ iong^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yim¹ yong²
    • Sinological IPA: /im²⁴ i̯oŋ¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yîm-yòng
    • Hakka Romanization System: (r)im^ˊ (r)iong^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yim¹ yong²
    • Sinological IPA: /(j)im²⁴ (j)i̯oŋ¹¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: rhim^ˋ rhong
    • Sinological IPA: /ʒim⁵³ ʒoŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: yim¹ yong²
    • Sinological IPA: /im⁴⁴⁻³⁵ iɔŋ¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: ĭng-iòng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iŋ⁵⁵ ^(Ø-)ŋyoŋ⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: ing¹ yorng² [Phonetic: ing⁵ ngyorng²]
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: ing-ió̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iŋ⁵³³⁻¹¹ ^(Ø-)ŋyɒŋ¹³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: ing¹ yoeng² [Phonetic: ing⁵ ngyoeng²]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iŋ⁵⁴⁴⁻²¹ ^(Ø-)ŋyøŋ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: im-iông
    • Tâi-lô: im-iông
    • Phofsit Daibuun: im'ioong
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /im⁴⁴⁻³³ iɔŋ²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /im⁴⁴⁻²² iɔŋ²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /im⁴⁴⁻³³ iɔŋ²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /im³³ iɔŋ²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: im-iâng
    • Tâi-lô: im-iâng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: im'iaang
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /im⁴⁴⁻²² iaŋ¹³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: im¹ iang⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: im iâng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /im³³⁻²³ iaŋ⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹in-yan
    • MiniDict: in^平 yan
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹in-hhian
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /in⁵⁵ ɦiã²¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: 'im yang

Rime
Character	陰	陽
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	侵 (140)	陽 (105)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	於金切	與章切
Baxter	'im	yang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔˠiɪm/	/jɨɐŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔᵚim/	/jiɐŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔiem/	/iɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔjim/	/jɨaŋ/
Li Rong	/ʔjəm/	/iaŋ/
Wang Li	/ĭĕm/	/jĭaŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʔi̯əm/	/i̯aŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yīn	yáng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jam1	joeng4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*q(r)um  laŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*qrɯm  laŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	陰	陽
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yīn	yáng
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔim ›	‹ yang ›
Old Chinese	/*q(r)um/	/*laŋ/
English	dark	bright
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	陰	陽
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	6623	14590
Phonetic component	今	昜
Rime group	侵	陽
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	音	陽
Old Chinese	/*qrɯm/	/*laŋ/

Noun

陰陽

1. (Chinese philosophy) yin and yang (☯) (two opposing forces in nature)

   • 陰陽不測之謂神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     阴阳不测之谓神。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

     Yīnyáng bù cè zhī wèi shén. [Pinyin]

     That which can not be measured (in straightforward terms such as) (bad and good; negative and positive etc.) is called mysterious (or divine).

2. (figurative) two contrasting things; antitheses
3. (literary) ancient Chinese astronomy, especially the study of the movement of celestial bodies
4. (literary, historical) occult arts such as astrology, divination, geomancy, etc.
5. (literary, historical) yin-yang geomancer
6. (physics) cathode and anode (short for 陰極 and short for 陽極)
7. (Sichuanese) fengshui master; geomancer

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 風水先生 (“fengshui master; geomancer”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		風水先生, 風水師, 堪輿家, 堪輿師
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	風水師, 風水先生
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	風水先生, 風水仙
Central Plains Mandarin	Xuzhou	陰陽先生, 陰陽先兒
Lanyin Mandarin	Ürümqi	風水先生
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	陰陽先生, 陰陽
	Guiyang	陰陽先生
	Liuzhou	風水佬
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	陰陽先生
Cantonese	Guangzhou	風水佬
	Hong Kong	風水佬, 風水師, 風水師傅
Gan	Pingxiang	地理先生
Hakka	Meixian	風水先生, 地理先生
	Yudu	地理先生
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	風水先生
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	風水先生
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	風水先生
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	風水先生
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	風水先生
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	地理先生
Huizhou	Jixi	地理先生
Jin	Xinzhou	陰陽先生, 陰陽匠, 風水先生
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	地理先生
Southern Min	Xiamen	風水仙, 地理師, 地理仙, 牽羅經 dated
	Quanzhou	風水仙, 牽羅經 dated, 牽經 dated
	Zhangzhou	風水仙, 地理仙, 堪輿仙, 牽羅經 dated
	Taipei	風水仙, 地理仙
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	地理仙, 牽羅經
	Kaohsiung	地理師
	Yilan	風水仙, 牽羅經
	Changhua (Lukang)	風水師
	Taichung	風水仙, 仙的
	Tainan	地理師, 風水仙
	Hsinchu	風水仙
	Kinmen	風水仙
	Penghu (Magong)	風水仙
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	風水佬, 地理先生
Wu	Shanghai	風水先生, 風鑒先生 dated
	Danyang	冷先生, 風水先生
	Hangzhou	風水先生, 陰陽先生
	Ningbo	風水先生
	Wenzhou	風水先生
	Jinhua	風水先生
Xiang	Changsha	地神先生, 地理先生

Derived terms

• 燮理陰陽 / 燮理阴阳
• 調理陰陽 / 调理阴阳
• 陰陽不將 / 阴阳不将
• 陰陽五行 / 阴阳五行
• 陰陽交錯 / 阴阳交错
• 陰陽人 / 阴阳人 (yīnyángrén)
• 陰陽先生 / 阴阳先生
• 陰陽兩隔 / 阴阳两隔
• 陰陽司 / 阴阳司
• 陰陽合曆 / 阴阳合历
• 陰陽和 / 阴阳和
• 陰陽學 / 阴阳学
• 陰陽宅 / 阴阳宅
• 陰陽家 / 阴阳家 (yīnyángjiā)
• 陰陽對轉 / 阴阳对转
• 陰陽工 / 阴阳工
• 陰陽怪氣 / 阴阳怪气 (yīnyángguàiqì)
• 陰陽慘舒 / 阴阳惨舒
• 陰陽易位 / 阴阳易位
• 陰陽曆 / 阴阳历 (yīnyánglì)
• 陰陽書 / 阴阳书
• 陰陽水 / 阴阳水
• 陰陽海 / 阴阳海
• 陰陽火 / 阴阳火
• 陰陽生 / 阴阳生
• 陰陽界 / 阴阳界
• 陰陽祕書 / 阴阳秘书
• 陰陽移 / 阴阳移
• 陰陽竹 / 阴阳竹
• 陰陽臉 / 阴阳脸
• 陰陽鏡 / 阴阳镜
• 陰陽間隔 / 阴阳间隔
• 顛倒陰陽 / 颠倒阴阳

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (陰陽):

• → Japanese: 陰陽(いんよう) (in'yō)
• → Korean: 음양(陰陽) (eumyang)
• → Vietnamese: âm dương (陰陽)

Others:

• → English: yin-yang, ying-yang
• → French: yin-yang
• → Portuguese: yin-yang
• → Russian: инь-ян (inʹ-jan)
• → Ukrainian: їнь-ян (jinʹ-jan)

Verb

陰陽

1. (colloquial, slang, neologism) to speak or act in a sarcastic or ironic way; to insinuate; to mock in a disguised manner; to be passive-aggressive, see 陰陽怪氣 / 阴阳怪气 (yīnyángguàiqì).

Japanese

Kanji in this term
陰	陽
おん Grade: S	よう > みょう Grade: 3
goon

Kanji in this term
陰	陽
おん Grade: S	よう Grade: 3
goon

Kanji in this term
陰	陽
いん Grade: S	よう Grade: 3
kan'on

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 陰陽 (MC 'im yang). The yō reading for 陽 changes to myō as an instance of renjō (連(れん)声(じょう)).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) いんよー [íꜜǹ'yòò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• (Tokyo) いんよー [ìń'yóó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ĩɰ̃jo̞ː]

• (Tokyo) おんよー [óꜜǹ'yòò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• (Tokyo) おんよー [òń'yóó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [õ̞ɰ̃jo̞ː]

• (Tokyo) おんみょー [óꜜǹmyòò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• (Tokyo) おんみょー [òńmyóó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [õ̞mʲːo̞ː]

Noun

陰(いん)陽(よう) or 陰(おん)陽(よう) or 陰(おん)陽(みょう) • (in'yō or on'yō or onmyō) 

1. yin-yang

See also

• 陰(おん)陽(よう)師(じ) (on'yōji) / 陰(おん)陽(みょう)師(じ) (onmyōji, “yin-yang master/teacher”)
• 陰(おん)陽(みょう)道(どう) (onmyōdō, “the way of yin and yang”)

References

• “陰陽”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
陰	陽

Noun

陰陽 • (eumyang) (hangeul 음양)

1. hanja form^? of 음양 (“yin-yang”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
陰	陽

Noun

陰陽

1. chữ Hán form of âm dương (“yin-yang”)