银
yín
In Mandarin, silver is 银 (yín).
银 is used to refer to the metal silver. If you wish to describe objects made of silver, such as jewelry or silverware, you can add the suffix 制品 to form 银制品.
Meaning: metal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 银 refers to the metal itself, 银色 is used specifically to describe the color silver. To refer to silver specifically as a precious metal in financial or investment contexts, the term 白银 is used.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
yín
Did you know?
- The phrase 银行 'yínháng' means 'bank', literally translating to 'silver shop' or 'silver house'.
- In traditional Chinese culture, silver was believed to have detoxifying properties, leading to the custom of using silver needles to test for poison in food.
- In ancient China, 银 was used as the primary currency in the form of sycees, which were cast silver ingots shaped like boat hulls.
Examples in context
- 你在哪买的银？How do you buy silver?This sentence shows how to ask about purchasing 银.Tatoeba #13893789 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #4666942 by CK
- 开口是银，沉默是金。Speech is silver, silence is gold.This sentence provides a common proverb using 银.Tatoeba #4182617 by ekgermana, translation #239721 by jakov
- 常言道：言语是银，沉默是金。As the saying goes: Speech is silver, silence is gold.This sentence uses a variation of the proverb containing 银.Tatoeba #3580013 by CLARET, translation #3622640 by weihaiping
- 这个戒指的银色非常漂亮。The silver color of this ring is very beautiful.
- 我喜欢那辆银色的汽车。I like that silver car.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A jewelry shop where a woman is looking at a necklace.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这件项链是银做的吗？Zhè jiàn xiàngliàn shì yín zuò de ma?Is this necklace made of silver?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen是的，这是纯银的。Shì de, zhè shì chún yín de.Yes, it is pure silver.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那它的价格是多少？Nà tā de jiàgé shì duōshǎo?Then how much is it?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这件银饰五百块。Zhè jiàn yín shì wǔbǎi kuài.This silver piece is five hundred yuan.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
