Yan

See also: Appendix:Variations of "yan"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jæn/

Etymology 1

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 燕 (Yān).

Alternative forms

• Yen (Wade–Giles)

Proper noun

Yan

1. (historical) An ancient march, duchy, and kingdom of northeastern China during the Zhou dynasty.
   • 1999 December 17, Stephen Holden, “FILM REVIEW; A Bloodthirsty Unification of China”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 February 2011, Movie Review‎^[2]:

     It is Lady Zhao who concocts a devious plan to unite the populace behind the emperor by arranging a bogus assassination attempt that will justify his invasion of the neighboring kingdom of Yan. The climactic showdown with Jing Ke (Zhang Fengyi), the fearless professional killer she recruits for the job (and with whom she falls deeply in love) takes place at an ambassadorial ceremony where he appears in disguise and presents Ying Zheng with a box containing the severed head of an enemy general and a map with a concealed sword.

   • 2016 December 8, “Diggers find ancient tombs in Beijing suburb”, in AP News‎^[3], sourced from BEIJING (AP), archived from the original on September 05, 2024‎^[4]:

     The excavations, made this year ahead of development of a new administrative district for Beijing, shed light on life in a county-level city that was alive with activity several hundred years earlier than experts previously thought. Archaeological teams this year found ceramic and porcelain urns, earthen sculptures of animals, copper tools and mirrors — some of which are believed to be made by the Yan, a northern kingdom that stood for centuries before falling to the conqueror who unified China and became its first emperor in 221 B.C.

2. (historical) The realm of this land under later imperial Chinese dynasties.
3. A mountain chain in northeastern China.

Synonyms

• (mountains): Yanshan

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Yan (plural Yans)

1. A male given name, equivalent to English John.

Coordinate terms

• Jan
• John
• Jon
• Yohan
• Yon

 

Anagrams

• AYN, Ayn, NAY, NYA, Nay, any, any%, ayn, nay

Tagalog

Etymology 1

From Mandarin 顏／颜 (Yán). Doublet of Gan.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈjan/ [ˈjan̪]
    • Rhymes: -an
  • IPA^(key): /ˈjen/ [ˈjɛn̪] (Mandarin Pinyin-literate)
    • Rhymes: -en
• Syllabification: Yan
• Homophone: 'yan

Proper noun

Yan (Baybayin spelling ᜌᜈ᜔)

1. a Chinese surname from Mandarin

Etymology 2

From Cantonese 甄 (jan¹).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈjan/ [ˈjan̪]
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: Yan
• Homophone: 'yan

Proper noun

Yan (Baybayin spelling ᜌᜈ᜔)

1. a Chinese surname from Cantonese

Anagrams

• nay