淫

Hill, Nathan W. (2017) “Songs of the Bailang: A New Transcription with Etymological Commentary”, in Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient‎^[2], volume 103, pages 386—429

Chinese

trad.		淫
simp. ^#		淫
alternative forms		滛

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (淫) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
淫	*lɯm
霪	*lɯm
婬	*lɯm

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *lɯm) : semantic 氵 (“water”) + phonetic 㸒 ().

Etymology

“to soak; excessive; to let loose; licentious”: Related to 婬 (OC *lɯm, “licentious”), 霪 (OC *lɯm, “heavy rain”) and 霖 (OC *ɡ·rɯm, “continued rain”) (Wang, 1982). More allofams possibly include 瀋 (OC *l̥ʰjɯmʔ, “liquid”) and 沉 (OC *l'um, “to submerge”) (Schuessler, 2007). Probably related to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *l-(t/d)jam (“to fill, flat”).

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yín (yin²)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄣˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jam⁴
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yìm
Eastern Min (BUC): ìng
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): îm / tâm
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶yin

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yín
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yín
  - Wade–Giles: yin²
  - Yale: yín
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yn
  - Palladius: инь (inʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /in³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jam⁴
  - Yale: yàhm
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jam⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: yem⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐm²¹/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yìm
  - Hakka Romanization System: im^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yim²
  - Sinological IPA: /im¹¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yìm
  - Hakka Romanization System: (r)im^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yim²
  - Sinological IPA: /(j)im¹¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: ìng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /iŋ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: îm / tâm
  - Tâi-lô: îm / tâm
  - Phofsit Daibuun: iim, daam
  - IPA (Xiamen): /im²⁴/, /tam²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /im²⁴/, /tam²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /im¹³/, /tam¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /im²⁴/, /tam²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /im²³/, /tam²³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶yin
  - MiniDict: yin^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhin
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦin²³/

Middle Chinese: yim

Rime
Character	淫
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	侵 (139)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	餘針切
Baxter	yim
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/jiɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/jim/
Shao Rongfen	/jem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/jim/
Li Rong	/iəm/
Wang Li	/jĭĕm/
Bernhard Karlgren	/i̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yín
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jam⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*N.r[ə]m/

(Zhengzhang): /*lɯm/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	淫
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yín
Middle Chinese	‹ yim ›
Old Chinese	/*N.r[ə]m/
English	excess; licentious
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	淫
Reading #	1/1
No.	15291
Phonetic component	淫
Rime group	侵
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	淫
Old Chinese	/*lɯm/

Definitions

淫

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
- 富貴不淫貧賤樂，男兒到此是豪雄。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  富贵不淫贫贱乐，男儿到此是豪雄。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: circa 1068~1085, Cheng Hao（程顥）,《秋日偶成》, tr. Cui Wenkai
  Fùguì bù yín pínjiàn lè, nán'ér dàocǐ shì háoxióng. [Pinyin]
  He who can be impervious to the temptation of wealth and high position, and be happy in impoverishment and humbleness, will surely be a warrior and a hero in this world.
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
- 又每見人言：番婦多淫，產後一兩日，即與夫合。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  又每见人言：番妇多淫，产后一两日，即与夫合。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: c. 1300, 周達觀 (Zhou Daguan), 《真臘風土記》 (The Customs of Cambodia)
  Yòu měi jiàn rén yán: fān fù duō yín, chǎn hòu yī liǎng rì, jí yǔ fū hé. [Pinyin]
  Then again, I have often heard people say that the native women are very lascivious, so that a day or two after giving birth they are immediately coupling with their husbands. (Adapted from translation by Peter Harris)
Alternative form of 深 (shēn, “deep; deeply”)

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yàn (yan⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄢˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jim⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yàn
  - Wade–Giles: yen⁴
  - Yale: yàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yann
  - Palladius: янь (janʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɛn⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jim⁶
  - Yale: yihm
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jim⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: yim⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːm²²/

Definitions

淫

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”)

Pronunciation 3

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yáo (yao²)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄠˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jiu⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yáo
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄠˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yáo
  - Wade–Giles: yao²
  - Yale: yáu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yau
  - Palladius: яо (jao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɑʊ̯³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jiu⁴
  - Yale: yìuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jiu⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: yiu⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːu̯²¹/

Definitions

淫

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

Japanese

Kanji

淫

(Jōyō kanji)

lewd; licentiousness

Readings

Go-on: いん (in, Jōyō)
Kan-on: いん (in, Jōyō)
Kun: みだら (midara, 淫ら, Jōyō)、あふれる (afureru, 淫れる)、ふける (fukeru, 淫る)、ほしいまま (hoshiimama, 淫)、ひたす (hitasu)、みだす (midasu, 淫す)、おおきい (ōkī, 淫きい)^{←おほきい (ofokii, 淫きい, historical)}、ながあめ (nagaame, 淫)^[1]

Etymology

Kanji in this term
淫
いん Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
婬

From Middle Chinese 淫 (MC yim).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) いん [íꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]
IPA^(key): [ĩɴ]

Affix

淫(いん) • (in)

lewd; licentious; obscene; indecent
excessive; go too far

Noun

淫(いん) • (in)

(literary) lewdness; licentiousness; Also used as a nari-adjective: lewd; obscene; licentious
Synonym: 淫ら (midara)
(literary) lust; sexual desire
Synonyms: 色欲 (shikiyoku), 性欲 (seiyoku)
(literary) semen
Synonym: 精液 (seieki)

References

^ “淫”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

淫 • (eum) (hangeul 음, revised eum, McCune–Reischauer ŭm, Yale um)

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

淫: Hán Nôm readings: dâm

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

Nom Foundation

[1] “淫”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]