yin

Everyday

1. (Chinese philosophy) Yin is the dark, cool, quiet, soft side in the old Chinese idea of yin and yang: two opposite forces that balance each other in everything. tree →
2. (Mandarin, pinyin) «yīn» is a Chinese syllable with several meanings, for example «shady, cloudy» or «sound». tree →

In the lessons

Used in lessons on world beliefs and Chinese culture, and in everyday talk: «they are the yin and yang of the team» means they are opposites that fit together. The yin-yang symbol is a circle of black and white parts.

Examples

• Yin and yang show how opposites balance each other. tree →
• In the symbol, yin is the dark part and yang is the light part. tree →
• Night is linked with yin, and day with yang. tree →
• The twins are the yin and yang of our class: one quiet, one loud. tree →
• Each half of the yin-yang symbol has a small dot of the other colour. tree →
• The teacher explained yin and yang in our lesson about China. tree →

Note

A loanword from Mandarin Chinese, pronounced like English «yin» (rhymes with «tin»). Almost always paired: «yin and yang». In Scotland «yin» can also be dialect for «one» («that wee yin»).