yin

Y4I1N1
/jɪn/

noun

A principle in Chinese and related East Asian philosophies associated with dark, cool, female, etc. elements of the natural world.

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 6

Meanings

yin1

nounyin (uncountable)

alternative yn

  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA principle in Chinese and related East Asian philosophies associated with dark, cool, female, etc. elements of the natural world.

    "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?"

    1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 187
    2 more examples

    According to traditional Chinese medicine, blood carries chi, your “life force,” which fuels all the functions of the body. When you lose blood, you lose chi, and this causes your body to go into a state of yin (cold). When yin (cold) and yang (hot) are out of balance, your body will suffer physical disorders.

    2017 January 8, Leslie Hsu Oh, “I tried the Chinese practice of ‘sitting the month’ after childbirth”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2017, Health & Science

    In ancient Chinese philosophy, the opposing forces of Yin (passive, feminine, night) and Yang (active, masculine, sun) balance life.[…] As we turn towards darker days (from November 1st until the winter solstice's darkest night on December 21st), we have a chance to turn inward for reflection. We enter a Yin phase.

    2023 November 1, Katie Hopkins, “Transitions & Remembrances”, in Align & Spiral (Blog), archived from the original on 01 Feb 2024, Belief & Body Blog

yin2

numeral

alternative yn

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

Yin3

proper nounYin (plural Yins)

plural Yins

Yin4

proper noun

Yin5

proper noun
  1. historicalan alternative name for the Shang dynasty

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe dark negative feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology

Opposite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

yin · noun

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

Full word history & related roots →

yin · numeral

From ān. Doublet of yan, yen, ane and one.

Full word history & related roots →

Yin · proper noun

From the romanization of various Chinese characters.

Full word history & related roots →

Yin · proper noun

A borrowing of Chinese 陰山/阴山 (Yīnshān)

Full word history & related roots →

Yin · proper noun

  1. Mandarin殷
  2. EnglishYin

From Mandarin 殷 (Yīn).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 陰 /阴
  • 陰 /阴 (yīn)essential female principle
German Yin
  • Yinessential female principle
Hungarian jin
  • jinessential female principle
Japanese 陰
  • 陰 (in)essential female principle
Korean 음
  • 음essential female principle
Persian یین
  • یین (yin)essential female principle
Russian инь
  • инь (inʹ)essential female principle
Swedish yin
  • yinessential female principle
Ukrainian їнь
  • їнь (jinʹ)essential female principle
Vietnamese âm
  • âmessential female principle

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with yin

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

yin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yin

MLA

“yin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yin. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yin.

Source: yin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.