荫 meaning and stroke order
Shade, shelter; to protect
How to write 荫, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 荫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) shade (of a tree)
- shade
- variant of 蔭|荫[yin4], shade
How 荫 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Shade 阴 provided by a tree 艹; 阴 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 荫
Put the grass radical 艹 (plants) on top of 阴 (yīn, shady, overcast). Plants overhead make a shady spot, and 阴 also gives the sound yīn.
In mainland Mandarin 荫 (yīn) mostly appears in words about shade from trees, such as 树荫 (shùyīn) and 绿树成荫 (lǜ shù chéng yīn). Example: 我们在树荫下休息。(Wǒmen zài shùyīn xià xiūxi.) We rest in the shade of the tree.
Common mistake: Learners often write 阴 alone when they mean tree shade. 阴 means overcast or the yin side, while 荫 with 艹 on top is the shade plants give. Also do not confuse 荫 with 茵 (yīn, a mat or lawn, as in 绿茵), which has 因 under the grass.
Common words with 荫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 树荫 | shùyīn | shade of a tree; Taiwan pr. [shu4yin4] | HSK 7-9 |
荫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 荫
How many strokes are in 荫?
荫 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 荫 mean?
荫 (yīn) means shade, shelter; to protect. A common word with it is 树荫 (shùyīn), meaning "shade of a tree; Taiwan pr. [shu4yin4]".
How do you pronounce 荫?
荫 is pronounced yīn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 荫?
The radical of 荫 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 荫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 荫?
The traditional form of 荫 is 廕 and 蔭. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 荫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 荫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 荫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 荫 sometimes read yìn instead of yīn?
The fourth tone yìn is used for some meanings like being cool and damp, or blessing and protection passed down from ancestors. In Taiwan, 树荫 is also pronounced shùyìn. For everyday mainland use, yīn is the safe choice.
How is 荫 used to mean protect?
It carries a sense of shelter and protection, as in 荫庇 (yìnbì), protection from someone powerful or from one's elders. This use is formal or literary and much less common than the shade meaning.