Chinese surname · rank 114

殷

殷 is read as yīn.

Pinyin

yīn

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 殷

Basic meaning

abundant; deep red; Yin/Shang dynasty

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Shang/Yin dynastic cultural layer, traditionally 2nd millennium BCE

Place: Yin/Shang cultural center around today's Henan Province

Origin note

Yin is tied to the Shang/Yin dynastic name and capital-place memory. The page presents it as an ancient dynasty/place surname layer.

died 356 CE · Eastern Jin official

A prominent Eastern Jin official.

died 407 CE · Eastern Jin writer

A literary figure of the Eastern Jin period.