yin

See also: yín, yìn, yīn, yǐn, þin, and þín

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɪn/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪn

Etymology 1

From early romanizations of Chinese 陰／阴 (yīn), originally used in reference to shaded areas, as of a mountain or home.

Noun

yin (uncountable)

1. (philosophy) A principle in Chinese and related East Asian philosophies associated with dark, cool, female, etc. elements of the natural world.
   • 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 187:

     "Steamed fish and chicken and vegetable soup and even mushrooms are considered cooling foods, edible materializations of the yang, the pure primal air. The yin, or earth element, inheres in fried dishes and especially in shark's fin soup. Am I right, Mr Lee?"

Related terms

• (complement): yang
• (unity): yin-yang

Translations

essential female principle

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰 (zh), 阴 (zh) (yīn)

• Hungarian: jin (hu)

• Japanese: 陰 (ja) (いん, in)
• Korean: 음 (ko) (eum) (陰 (ko))
• Russian: инь (ru) f or n (inʹ)
• Vietnamese: âm (vi) (陰)

Etymology 2

From ān. Cognate with yan, yen, ane and one.

Numeral

yin

1. The number one, primarily used in Scotland and Ulster

Anagrams

• NYI

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Aromanian

Alternative forms

• vin, yinu, vinu

Etymology 1

From Latin veniō. Compare Romanian veni, vin.

Verb

yin (third-person singular present indicative yini or yine, past participle vinitã or vinjitã or vinitã)

1. I come.

Related terms

• yiniri/yinire, yinjiri/yinjire, viniri/vinire, vinjiri/vinjire
• vinit/vinjit, yinit/yinjit

Etymology 2

From Latin vinum. Compare Romanian vin.

Alternative forms

• yinu, vin

Noun

yin n (plural yinuri)

1. wine

Derived terms

• yinar

See also

• ayinji/yinji
• ayitã/yitã

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Finnish

Noun

yin

1. Instructive plural form of yy.

Anagrams

• nyi

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French

Etymology

Mandarin 陰 (yin)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jin/
• Rhymes: -jin

Noun

yin m (usually uncountable, plural yins)

1. yin

Further reading

• “yin” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Mandarin

Romanization

yin

1. Nonstandard spelling of yīn.
2. Nonstandard spelling of yín.
3. Nonstandard spelling of yǐn.
4. Nonstandard spelling of yìn.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

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Middle English

Determiner

yin (subjective pronoun þou)

1. Alternative form of þin (“thy”)

Pronoun

yin (subjective þou)

1. (chiefly Northern and northern East Midland dialectal) Alternative form of þin (“thine”)

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Spanish

Noun

yin m (plural yines)

1. Alternative form of djinn

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Yoruba

Pronoun

yín

1. your (second-person plural or honorific possessive pronoun)

See also

Yoruba possessive pronouns

	singular	plural or honorific
1st person	mi	wa
2nd person	(r)ẹ	yín
3rd person	(r)ẹ̀	wọn