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淫

Mandarin · pinyin yín

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淫: yín · obscene, licentious, lewd

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2 · yin2

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1character link38same-tone records

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 21 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jam4

Cantonese word readings for 淫. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

to soak; to permeate; to drench
to paint; to dye; to decorate
to spread; to diffuse; to become prominent
to move around; to shift; to travel
to exceed boundary; to overstep one's authority
excessive; uncontrolled; immoderate; overindulgent
great; sizeable; immense; big
(alt. form 霪) to rain for a prolonged period of time; to have continuous heavy rain
meretricious; flashy; ostentatious
extravagant; squandering; wasteful
evil; wicked; sinful; crafty
in disorder; disorderly; chaotic; disorganised
to confuse or be confused; to make someone dazed and confused
to let someone have his or her own way; to allow to run wild
(alt. form 婬／淫) to indulge in; to overindulge; to abandon oneself in; to be greedy for
(alt. form 婬／淫) to have illicit sexual relations; to commit adultery
(alt. form 婬／淫) licentious; obscene; lewd; lascivious; depraved; pornographic
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 深 (shēn, “deep; deeply”)

character · Etymology 1

only used in 淫預／淫预: alternative form of 灩澦 /滟滪 (“a dangerous pile of rocks in the middle of the Yangtze River in Sichuan”)

character · Etymology 1

(mythology, historical) Alternative name for 瑤池／瑶池 (Yáochí, “a legendary body of water”).

character · Etymology 2

(Hokkien) alternative form of 澹 (“wet”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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