TongTong
Sign in

阴柔 (yīn róu) — gentle and reserved (of personality, voice, or style); soft, feminine (in aesthetic or temperament)

Definition

Literary adjective for a soft, gentle quality in personality, voice, or style — the opposite of 阳刚. Often used to describe feminine or quietly graceful aesthetics.

adjective
gentle and reserved (of personality, voice, or style)softfeminine (in aesthetic or temperament)

Examples

  • 阴柔，。
    Tā de xìng gé bǐ jiào yīn róu, shuō huà zǒng shì hěn wēn róu.
    His personality is rather gentle and reserved; he always speaks very softly.
  • 阴柔，。
    Zhè fú huà de fēng gé piān yīn róu, sè cǎi róu hé.
    This painting's style leans toward the soft and feminine, with gentle colors.
  • ，阴柔。
    Tā suī rán shì nán xìng, dàn yǒu yì zhǒng yīn róu zhī měi.
    Although he is male, he has a kind of gentle, reserved beauty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

阴yīnyin softness
柔róugentle

阴 carries the soft, yin quality, and 柔 means gentle, so together they describe a reserved, feminine softness.

Characters in this word

Most 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.

Open 阴 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 柔 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.