yin en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /jɪn/
Etymology
From early romanizations of Chinese 陰／阴 (yīn), originally used in reference to shaded areas, as of a mountain or home.
Meanings
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(uncountable) A principle in Chinese and related East Asian philosophies associated with dark, cool, female, etc. elements of the natural world.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, blood carries chi, your “life force,” which fuels all the functions of the body. When you lose blood, you lose chi, and this causes your body to go into a state of yin (cold). When yin (cold) and yang (hot) are out of balance, your body will suffer physical disorders.
2017 January 8, Leslie Hsu Oh, “I tried the Chinese practice of ‘sitting the month’ after childbirth”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2017, Health & Science:"Steamed fish and chicken and vegetable soup and even mushrooms are considered cooling foods, edible materializations of the yang, the pure primal air. The yin, or earth element, inheres in fried dishes and especially in shark's fin soup. Am I right, Mr Lee?"
1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 187:In ancient Chinese philosophy, the opposing forces of Yin (passive, feminine, night) and Yang (active, masculine, sun) balance life.[…] As we turn towards darker days (from November 1st until the winter solstice's darkest night on December 21st), we have a chance to turn inward for reflection. We enter a Yin phase.
2023 November 1, Katie Hopkins, “Transitions & Remembrances”, in Align & Spiral (Blog), archived from the original on 01 Feb 2024, Belief & Body Blog:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| yn | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
yang (complement) · yin-yang (unity)
Translations (11)
cmn 陰 /阴 (essential female principle) · fa یین (essential female principle) · mnc ᡝ (essential female principle) · hu jin (essential female principle) · sv yin (essential female principle) · ja 陰 (essential female principle) · uk їнь (essential female principle) · de Yin (essential female principle) · ru инь (essential female principle) · vi âm (essential female principle) · ko 음 (essential female principle)