*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Yin

From the romanization of various Chinese characters.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From the romanization of various Chinese characters.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c1e84a6ea0f6f6bdd12a75418d810b50607115a2ac524da7d2c86a8471f2368a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "98c2b61ff2fc3355127b10b776f271970105257bc7759375b93d309e07c6215f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6546621
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A mountain range in northern China at the southeast end of the Gobi Desert.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A borrowing of Chinese 陰山/阴山 (Yīnshān)

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ Mountains"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "陰山"
      },
      "expansion": "陰山/阴山 (Yīnshān)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "陰山",
      "陰山#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "阴山",
      "阴山#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A mountain range in northern China at the southeast end of the Gobi Desert."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6546622
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

an alternative name for the Shang dynasty

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 殷 (Yīn).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention殷cmn
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "殷",
        "tr": "Yīn"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 殷 (Yīn)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "殷",
      "殷#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "an alternative name for the Shang dynasty"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6546623
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Yin →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-WWlu