Definitions

yǔn (bound form) to fall from the sky; variant of 殞|殒[yǔn]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

Originating from the traditional character "隕", which combines the "阝" radical associated with terrain and elevation with the phonetic element "員", the character "陨" initially denoted the action of falling from a height, reflecting its etymological link to physical descent. Over centuries, its meaning broadened to encompass various forms of decline or dropping, often applied to celestial phenomena such as meteors falling to earth. The simplified form "陨" replaced the original phonetic component with "云", a graphically simpler element that approximates the sound while retaining the radical's semantic contribution, thereby preserving the character's core conception of falling or perishing without altering its fundamental usage in modern compounds.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

天上掉下石。

Tiānshàng diàoxià yǔnshí.

A meteorite fell from the sky.

石落在山里。

Yǔnshí luò zài shān lǐ.

The meteorite landed in the mountains.

昨晚有石坠落。

Zuó wǎn yǒu yǔnshí zhuìluò.

Last night, a meteorite fell.

那颗星星落了。

Nà kē xīngxīng yǔnluò le.

That star has fallen.

科学家研究石的成分。

Kēxuéjiā yánjiū yǔnshí de chéngfèn.

Scientists study the composition of meteorites.

石撞击地球导致灾难。

Yǔnshí zhuàngjí dìqiú dǎozhì zāinàn.

Meteorite impacts on Earth cause disasters.

帝国的落是不可避免的。

Dìguó de yǔnluò shì bùkě bìmiǎn de.

The fall of the empire is inevitable.

星划过夜空的光芒短暂而美丽。

Yǔnxīng huáguò yèkōng de guāngmáng duǎnzàn ér měilì.

The light of a meteor streaking across the night sky is brief but beautiful.