阴 (yīn): overcast (weather), cloudy, shady
阴 (yīn) is a Chinese character meaning “overcast (weather).” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 阝 (structural) and 月 (structural). It ranks #986 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 阴 the place 阝 of the moon 月; compare 阳. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- overcast (weather)
- cloudy
- shady
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe place 阝 of the moon 月; compare 阳
Decomposition: ⿰阝月 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 阴 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 阴谋noun | yīn móu | to conspire |
| 阴影noun | yīn yǐng | (lit. and fig.) shadow |
| 阴道noun | yīn dào | vagina |
| 阴茎noun | yīn jīng | penis |
| 阴暗adjective | yīn àn | dim |
| 阴性noun | yīn xìng | negative |
| 阴险adjective | yīn xiǎn | treacherous |
| 阴郁adjective | yīn yù | (of skies or one's mood) gloomy |
| 光阴noun | guāng yīn | time available |
| 阴沉adjective | yīn chén | gloomy |
| 阴间noun | yīn jiān | the nether world |
| 阴部noun | yīn bù | genitalia |
| 阴沟noun | yīn gōu | sewer |
| 阴阳noun | yīn yáng | yin and yang |
| 阴暗面noun | yīn àn miàn | the dark side (of society etc) |
阴 appears in 100 compound words: 66 as the first character, 24 as the last, and 10 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 阴 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
to comply in appearance but oppose in heart; to overtly agree but covertly oppose; double-dealing
to have a (often negative) lasting effect (with respect to a person or event that is now not existing)
Showing 7 of 8 idioms containing 阴.
Example Sentences
阴字的写法很特别，让我印象深刻。
yīn zì de xiě fǎ hěn tè bié , ràng wǒ yìn xiàng shēn kè .
The character for "shade" has a very distinctive way of being written, which left a deep impression on me.
新闻眼/食安阴霾 卢秀燕心中刺 绿捡到枪
xīn wén yǎn shí ān yīn 霾 卢 xiù yān xīn zhōng cì lǜ jiǎn dào qiāng
News Eye/Food Safety Haze Lu Xiuyan's heart stabbed Green picked up a gun
...孩子下面窄到一根手指都疼是怎么回事?使用阴道扩张器安全吗
. . . hái zǐ xià miàn zhǎi dào yī gēn shǒu zhǐ dōu téng shì zěn má huí shì ? shǐ yòng yīn dào kuò zhāng qì ān quán ma
... What's going on with the child's bottom so narrow that one finger hurts? Is it safe to use a vaginal dilator?
...下面窄到一根手指都疼是怎么回事?是不是外阴发育异常
. . . xià miàn zhǎi dào yī gēn shǒu zhǐ dōu téng shì zěn má huí shì ? shì bù shì wài yīn fā yù yì cháng
... What's going on with the bottom so narrow that a finger hurts? Is it an abnormal development of the vulva?
NBA 史上最严厉处分?快艇涉嫌9亿元阴阳约 美记曝雷纳德合约恐作废
N B A shǐ shàng zuì yán lì chǔ fēn ? kuài tǐng shè xián 9 yì yuán yīn yáng yuē měi jì pù léi nà dé gě yuē kǒng zuò fèi
The toughest punishment in NBA history? The Clippers are suspected of a 900 million yuan yin-yang contract, and Meiji revealed that Leonard's contract may be invalidated
为了飞更远?冬奥跳台滑雪爆阴茎注射歪风
wéi le fēi gēng yuǎn ? dōng ào tiào tái huá xuě bào yīn jīng zhù shè wāi fēng
To fly further? Winter Olympics ski jumping exploded penis injection crooked
你从来吮了阴茎吗？
Nǐ cónglái shǔn le yīnjīng ma?
Have you ever sucked a penis?
昨天东京是阴天吗?
Zuótiān Dōngjīng shì yīntiān ma?
Was it cloudy in Tokyo yesterday?
保存在阴凉的地方。
Bǎocún zài yīnliáng de dìfang.
Keep it in a cool place.
不要只盯着阴暗面。
Bù yào zhǐ dīng zhe yīn'ànmiàn.
Don't only look at the dark side.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 阴 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 阴 with real-time feedback
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