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• yin
  yin

  noun

  (in Chinese philosophy and religion) the negative, dark, and feminine principle, the counterpart of yang.
• Yin
  Yin

  noun

  Shang.

yin

¹ American  

[yin] / jɪn /

noun

• yins
  plural

1. (in Chinese philosophy and religion) the negative, dark, and feminine principle, the counterpart of yang.

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yin ² American  

[yin] / jɪn /

adjective

Scot.

1. one.

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Yin ³ American  

[yin] / jɪn /

noun

1. Shang.

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yin British  

/ jɪn /

determiner

1. a Scot word for one

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• yins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of yin

First recorded in 1890–95

Explanation

Yin is the feminine, negative principle in Chinese philosophy. It’s associated with Earth and passivity. Have you ever heard someone talk about balancing their yin and yang? Those are two contrasting aspects of Chinese philosophy. While yang is male, yin is female. Yin and yang both exist in everyone, which is why balancing them is considered important. Besides being associated with femaleness, yin also involves Earth, darkness, passiveness, and cold. Yin and yang are usually discussed together. The symbol of yin and yang is black and white, representing how the two principles complement each other.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yin Yin yins

"We are quite different people - very much yin and yang - but I think decisions are better made with two brains rather than one as it stops hubris," says Begg, who is London-based.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026

Being supportive and demanding are a yin and yang—children need both from their parents to succeed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

There is a yin and yang to that.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025

Seattle quarterback Geno Smith embodied the yin and yang of this wild game, throwing three beautiful touchdown passes but offsetting those with three interceptions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024

They are equal and opposite, yin and yang.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Starting Saturday, Aug. 1, Queer Yin Yoga invites attendees to join in a deep rest that doubles as a meditative practice to encourage presence and slow down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

StepFun's chairman Yin Qi said "deep partnerships" had been established with several major Chinese platforms, including Alipay and ride-hailing giant Didi, according to a sponsored article in state news agency Xinhua.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

If Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith are England's tall and short, spin and seam, bowling Yin and Yang, Kemp and Gibson, who were both signed in The Hundred for more than £100,000 are similarly complementary.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Earlier this year, the startup hired Yin Qi of facial-recognition company Megvii Technology as its chairman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

Yin Lan-lan jumped up from the balance beam and roared at me.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang

Pat told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland that he enjoys his new nickname of "grandad" from the "young yins" who watch his videos on TikTok.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2023

Then bywhiles, atween the spells o' the questions, some o' the young yins fell a-talkin', for even Auld Anton canna haud the tongues o' the young birkies.

From The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

"Ah, weel," said Sandy, "ye'll notice that the full heids hang down, an' that the empty yins stand up."

From Jokes For All Occasions Selected and Edited by One of America's Foremost Public Speakers by Anonymous

Do ye mind the game the wee yins play, of noughts and crosses?

From Between You and Me by Sir Harry Lauder

Did it no' occur to ye then that there ought to be some sort of dispensation to look after the auld yins who were past it?

From The Atlantic Book of Modern Plays by Sterling Andrus Leonard