---
title: "Yingzi Meaning: 影子 (yǐngzi) Means “shadow”"
description: "影子 (yǐngzi) means “shadow; reflection”. Hear its tones, see what 影 and 子 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yingzi"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 影子 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

影子 yǐngzi

## shadow; reflection

## It can also mean

- trace; sign
- shadow (cabinet), behind-the-scenes

## Its characters

1. 影 yǐng shadow
2. 子 zi (suffix) noun suffix (as in 桌子)

## In a sentence

太阳快下山时，影子变得很长。 When the sun is about to set, shadows become very long.

悟空用火眼金睛向四周看了又看，哪里都没有白马的**影子**，这才明白，马已经被那条龙吃掉了。

From [白龙马 · The White Dragon Horse](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-white-dragon-horse-journey-to-the-west-intermediate-chinese-12#library-word-129-131)

[More about 影子](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%BD%B1%E5%AD%90)

## More words with 影 or 子

- [包子 bāozi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/baozi)
- [背影 bèiyǐng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/beiying)
- [被子 bèizi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/beizi)
- [本子 běnzi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/benzi)
- [鼻子 bízi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bizi)
- [脖子 bózi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bozi)
- [虫子 chóngzi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chongzi)
- [袋子 dàizi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daizi)
- [电影 diànyǐng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dianying)
- [电影院 diànyǐngyuàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dianyingyuan)

## Keep 影子 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

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