阴天
yīn tiān · HSK 2
cloudy day
☁️ 阴 = shade/overcast + 天 = day/sky
阴 (yīn) is the shady/cloudy side (opposite of 阳 yáng, sunny), and 天 means sky or day. Together: a sky on its shady side — an overcast day.
阴 — left 阝(mound) + 月 (moon)
Originally written 陰, combining the 'mound/hill' radical 阝 with 侌 (clouds covering the sun), suggesting the shaded north side of a hill. The simplified form 阴 replaces the phonetic with 月 (moon), reinforcing the idea of darkness, shadow, and the feminine yin principle opposed to 阳 (yang).
天 — 一 (one/sky) above 大 (big person)
Originally a pictograph of a person (大) with an emphasized head, representing what is above — the sky or heavens. The top stroke evolved into 一, symbolizing the vast expanse overhead. From 'sky' it extended to mean 'day,' 'heaven,' and 'nature.'