Definitions

yún (noun) cloud
yún (verb) to say

Etymology

Depicts a swirl of clouds up () in the sky.

About

云 is the modern simplified form of 雲, the traditional character which adds the rain radical 雨 above it to mark it as a weather phenomenon. This addition incorporated the original independent character 云, which historically meant "to speak" or "to say". The simpler form is a pictograph: its two horizontal strokes above a swirling curve depict clouds gathering and floating in the sky. The rain radical was added later to distinguish the meteorological noun from the verb for speaking, but the simplification process returned to the original, unadorned form. Its definitions now encompass both atmospheric water vapor and the classical literary verb for speaking or quoting.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 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

天空飘着白

Tiānkōng piāo zhe báiyún.

White clouds are floating in the sky.

遮住了太阳。

Wūyún zhē zhù le tàiyáng.

Dark clouds blocked the sun.

彩在天空中变化。

Yúncǎi zài tiānkōng zhōng biànhuà.

The clouds are changing in the sky.

今天的层很厚。

Jīntiān de yúncéng hěn hòu.

The cloud layer is very thick today.

他喜欢看朵的形状。

Tā xǐhuān kàn yúnduǒ de xíngzhuàng.

He likes to watch the shapes of clouds.

计算是现代技术的重要部分。

Yún jìsuàn shì xiàndài jìshù de zhòngyào bùfen.

Cloud computing is an important part of modern technology.

数据存储在端很安全。

Shùjù cúnchǔ zài yúnduān hěn ānquán.

Storing data in the cloud is very safe.

服务让远程工作更加方便。

Yún fúwù ràng yuǎnchéng gōngzuò gèngjiā fāngbiàn.

Cloud services make remote work more convenient.