yin

noun

ˈyin 

: the feminine passive principle in nature that in Chinese cosmology is exhibited in darkness, cold, or wetness and that combines with yang to produce all that comes to be

Examples of yin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Has Cage ever been funnier, exuding self-doubt and self-loathing through voice-over and his very pores, and offering complimentary notes of unearned confidence as the writer’s fictional brother, the blissfully unburdened yin to his insecure yang, Donald Kaufman? —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024

The sharp black triangles of their dorsal fins felt like the yin to the yang of the white sails dotting the sound. —Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2024

Pedro Sanchez, Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Sidekick to: Napoleon Dynamite An odd man out in an Idaho high school, Pedro (Efren Ramirez) is the cool yin to Napoleon's (Jon Heder) tempestuous yang. —Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024

The combination allows for perfect harmony between the dragon, associated with the active, masculine principle of yang, and the phoenix, linked to the passive, female principle of yin. —Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) yīn

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing yin

• the yin and yang
• yin and yang
• yin-yang symbol