Definitions

yáng to soar; to fly; to float; variant of 揚|扬[yáng], to scatter; to spread

Etymology

About

The character derives from the traditional and is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical (wind, simplified from ) combines with the phonetic (yáng). Its core meaning, being blown, tossed, or scattered by the wind, directly invokes the wind radical to convey motion through the air. Found mainly in literary contexts, it describes a bird taking flight, a vessel sailing swiftly, or dust and leaves swept upwards by gusts. It acts as a specialized, poetic alternative to (yáng) precisely when wind is the active force.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern