Definitions

the bleating of sheep; surname

Etymology

About

originates from the traditional form and includes the sheep radical (yáng), pointing to an early etymological tie to livestock or pastoralism, although its modern shape has become somewhat abstract. Its true importance lies in its role as an ancient ancestral surname of the Chu state during the Zhou dynasty, never serving as an everyday word. Identifying historical genealogy and aristocratic lineages, it is found solely in historical records, classical historiography, and dramas set in Chu.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern