阳 (yáng) — (bound form) the sun; sunlight; (bound form) the positive/active/male principle in Chinese philosophy (opposite of 阴); (bound form) positive; overt; masculine (as in 阳性)
Definition
In Chinese philosophy, 阳 (yáng) is the bright, active, masculine principle paired with 阴 — associated with sun, light, and heat. In modern use it means 'positive' (阳性), as in a positive test result.
bound form
the sunsunlightthe positive/active/male principle in Chinese philosophy (opposite of 阴)positiveovertmasculine (as in 阳性)
Examples
- 。Měi tiān duō shài shài yáng guāng duì shēn tǐ hǎo.Getting more sunlight every day is good for health.
- 。Tài yáng cóng dōng bian shēng qǐ lái le.The sun rose from the east.
- 。Tā de xīn guān jiǎn cè jié guǒ chéng yáng xìng.His COVID test result was positive.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 陽; 阳 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng陽yáng
Same sound today
In the traditional form 陽, 阜 shows a hill and 昜 is the older character for the word, tied to sunshine and the sound; simplified 阳 is a later shorthand.
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