阴 (yīn) — (of weather) overcast, cloudy; (of a place) shady, shaded
Definition
At HSK 2, 阴 is a concrete adjective for weather and places: overcast skies or shade without sun. Don't confuse it with 黑 (a color) or 含蓄 (abstract 'implicit').
adjective
(of weather) overcastcloudy(of a place) shadyshaded
Easily confused
Examples
- ，。Jīn tiān yīn tiān, wǒ jué de lěng.Today is overcast; I feel cold.
- ，。Shù xià hěn yīn liáng, bú rè.Under the tree it is very shady and cool, not hot.
- 阴，。Zhè shì shù de yīn miàn, méi yǒu tài yáng.This is the shady side of the tree; there is no sun.
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 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today
The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.
Appears in
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