yīnyānyǐn

late Shang dynasty, many

Original meaning: 

intense pain from an illness

Depicts a person with a swollen abdomen () receiving an acupuncture from a hand holding a needle (). Based on the original meaning "intense pain from an illness". The meaning later shifted to "abundant" and "many" while it's other meaning used as the name of a dynasty at the end of the Shang dynasty is a phonetic loan.

Components
㐆 sound,iconic component

  Sound Iconic component

yǐn

  

to turn the body

Depicts a person with a swollen abdomen.

殳 iconic component

  Iconic component

shū

  

weapon or tool

Depicts a hand holding a needle.

Evolution

殷 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
殷 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
殷 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
殷 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
殷 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

yīn

many, great; abundant, flourishing; flourishing; abundant; earnest; hospitable

 

Yīn

surname Yin; dynasty name at the end the Shang dynasty, after their move to Yinxu 殷墟 in modern Henan province

 

yān

dark red

 

yǐn

roll of thunder

Most common words with 殷
Freq.
Word
Meaning

献殷勤

to court sb's favor

殷勤

politely

abundant

殷切

ardent

殷实

thriving