阴 (yīn): overcast

Meanings

1 overcast
2 cloudy
3 yin (opposite of yang)

Characters

阴

yīn

cloudy; overcast; yin; shade

Contains 阝 (hill radical) + 月 (moon) — the shaded side of a hill.

Examples

今天是阴天。

Jīntiān shì yīntiān.

Today is overcast.

天阴了，可能要下雨。

Tiān yīn le, kěnéng yào xiàyǔ.

It's gotten cloudy, it might rain.

阴阳是中国哲学的基础。

Yīnyáng shì Zhōngguó zhéxué de jīchǔ.

Yin and yang are the foundation of Chinese philosophy.

Tips

culture

阴阳 represents complementary opposites in Chinese philosophy: dark/light, cold/hot, passive/active. The iconic black-and-white symbol is called 太极图.

Components

radical

阝 fù

mound; hill (left-side form of 阜)

Left-side 阝 is the mound radical, compressed form of 阜. 阴 originally referred to the shaded northern slope of a hill — the side the sun never reaches. The radical anchors the geographical image: a hillside lying in shadow. Same family as 阳 (sunny southern slope), 阵, 阶.

semantic

月 yuè

moon

Right-side 月 depicts the moon, here standing in for the cool/dark/feminine yin principle — chosen by the 1956 reform to replace older 侌 (vapours). The pairing is iconic: sun (日) on the right of 阳 versus moon (月) on the right of 阴, the visual heart of yin-yang philosophy.