荫 yīn shade
shade; shelter; to protect
How to remember 荫: 艹 grass + 阴 cloudy = shade. The picnic grass is burning hot and the sky won't turn cloudy, so the family drags the blanket into the old oak's shade.
Component breakdown
荫 = 艹 grass + 阴 cloudy
- 艹 grass
- 阴 cloudy
- 阝 mound
- 月 moon
The picnic grass is burning hot and the sky won't turn cloudy, so the family drags the blanket into the old oak's shade.
How it is used
- The shade cast by trees - 树荫 (shùyīn) tree shade, 林荫道 (línyīndào) a tree-lined avenue, 绿树成荫 (lǜshù-chéngyīn) green trees giving ample shade.
- Figuratively "to shelter/protect": in that sense it reads yìn - 荫庇 (yìnbì) to shield (as ancestors protect descendants).