Yi Sun-shin Vye-'sim-'shinX (b. April 28, 1545, Seoul, Korea—d. Dec. 16, 1598, off Noryang) Korean admiral and national hero. He worked on developing the kobukson (“turtle ship”), thought to be the first ironclad battleship. As a result of Yi’s preparations, his forces, unlike most of the Korean military, were ready to fight when the Japanese under Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded in 1592. His sea victories effectively cut off the Japa¬ nese troops in Korea from their supplies. In 1597 he was falsely accused of disloyalty and demoted to the rank of common soldier. When the Japa¬ nese launched a second invasion and largely destroyed the Korean navy, Yi was reinstated and soon restored Korea’s control of the seas. He was killed by a stray bullet as he pursued the retreating Japanese.
Yibin Ye -'bin\ or l-pin conventional Suchow Ysii-'joV City (pop., 2003 est.: 312,462), southern Sichuan province, south-central China. It is located at the junction of the Min and Yangtze (Chang) rivers. A county administration was set up there in the 2nd century bc. It first received the name Yibin in ad 742. The Chinese hold expanded there during the Song dynasty (960-1279). By the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) it was Xuzhou (Hsii-chou) superior prefecture, known to Europeans as Suifu. In 1912 it reverted to Yibin. In 1913 steamship communication with Chongqing was opened, and Yibin grew into a major collection and distribution centre. It has long been known for its salt deposits, which now supply a large chemical plant.
Yichang \'e-'chaq\ or l-ch'ang City (pop., 1999 est.: 481,277), west¬ ern Hubei province, east-central China. An ancient city, it is located at the head of navigation on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), below the entrance to the gorges of the Daba Mountains. As the gateway to the rich prov¬ ince of Sichuan, it was often disputed during times of Chinese political turmoil. It was made a treaty port for foreign trade in 1877; a Western quarter grew beside it, and many Western commercial firms established branches there. It was occupied by the Japanese and badly damaged dur¬ ing World War II, but the city and its shipyards have been rebuilt. It is now an industrial centre and a distribution point for the region’s manu¬ factured goods.
Yiddish drama Productions of the professional Yiddish theatre. Euro¬ pean Jewish drama originated in the Middle Ages, when dancers and jest¬ ers entertained at Purim celebrations. By the 16th century, these entertainments had become elaborate plays performed in Yiddish, the lan¬ guage of the majority of central and eastern European Jews. The profes¬ sional Yiddish theatre dates from 1876, when Abraham Goldfaden (1840-
1908) wrote a well-received musical sketch in Romania and organized a troupe to perform his songs and plays. In 1883 anti-Semitic laws in Rus¬ sia that forbade Yiddish plays compelled many actors and playwrights to immigrate to England and the U.S. The playwright Jacob Gordin (1853—
1909) brought new material and adaptations to the U.S. Yiddish theatre, including The Jewish King Lear (1892), starring Jacob P. Adler, founder of a family of Yiddish- and English-speaking actors. In 1918 Maurice Schwartz founded and directed the Yiddish Art Theatre, which trained actors such as Jacob Ben-Ami and Muni Weisenfreund (later known as Paul Muni). World War II destroyed most Yiddish culture in eastern Europe, and by the late 20th century only a few Yiddish theatres survived in New York City, London, Bucharest, and Warsaw.
Yiddish language Language of Ashkenazic Jews and their descen¬ dants (see Ashkenazi), written in the Hebrew alphabet. Yiddish developed from southeastern dialects of Middle High German carried into central and eastern Europe beginning in the 12th century; it has been strongly influenced by Hebrew and Aramaic, from which it draws 12-20% of its lexicon. The isolation of eastern European speakers from High German and their exposure to Slavic languages, particularly Polish and Ukrainian, led to a primary distinction between West and East Yiddish dialects. From the late 18th century most Jews remaining in central Europe gave up Yid¬ dish in favour of German; it has now virtually died out. East Yiddish dia¬ lects differ markedly in realization of vowels; there are central, northeastern, and southeastern dialects. A flourishing literary language in the 19th and early 20th century, Yiddish declined dramatically due to sup¬ pression, massive migration, assimilation, and Nazi genocide. The lan¬ guage nevertheless continues to flourish among the ultra-Orthodox Hasidim in numerous countries and among secular students of Yiddish at leading universities, including Columbia University (New York), Hebrew University (Jerusalem), McGill University (Montreal), the University of Oxford, and the University of Paris. Yiddish is spoken by three million people worldwide.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
2096 I Yijing ► Yongjo
Yijing or I Ching Ve-'jiqX Chinese "Book of Changes" Ancient Chinese text, one of the Five Classics of Confucianism. The main body of the work, traditionally attributed to Wenwang, contains a discussion of the divinatory system used by wizards in the Zhou dynasty. A supplementary section of “commentaries,” believed to date from the Warring States period (475-221 bc), is a philosophical exposition that attempts to explain the world and its ethical principles. The book’s cosmology, which involves humans and nature in a single system, has made it universally popular.
Yima \ya-'ma, 'ye-m9\ In ancient Iranian religion, the first man, son of the Sun, and progenitor of the human race. In one legend, Yima became king in a golden age in which need, death, disease, aging, and extremes of temperature were banished from the earth because of his virtue. This golden age ended when Ahura Mazda foretold a terrible winter. Yima was instructed to build an underground domain, take in the best individuals from each species to preserve their seed, and then reemerge after the win¬ ter to repopulate the earth. In Zoroastrian legends, Yima was replaced by Gayomart.
Yin dynasty See Shang dynasty
yin-yang In East Asian thought, the two complementary forces or prin¬ ciples that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is earth, female, dark, passive, and absorbing; it is present in even numbers and in valleys and streams and is represented by the tiger, the colour orange, and a bro¬ ken line. Yang is heaven, male, light, active, and penetrating; it is present in odd numbers and mountains and is represented by the dragon, the colour azure, and an unbroken line. Together they express the interde¬ pendence of opposites.
Yinchuan Vyin-'chwanV or Yin-ch'uan City (pop., 1999 est.: 469,180), capital of Ningxia autonomous region, north-central China. It is located near the western end of the Great Wall. Originally a county in the 1st century bc, it became the capital of the Xi Xia dynasty in 907 ad. In 1227 it came under the Mongol dynasty and was later under the Ming and the Qing dynasties. In 1928 it became the capital of the newly formed Ningxia province. In 1954 when Ningxia province was abolished, the city became part of Gansu province. With the establishment of the Ningxia autonomous region in 1958, Yinchuan once again became the capital. Largely nonindustrial, it is the chief agricultural market and distribution centre for the area.
ylang-ylang or ilang-ilang V.e-.laq-'e-.laqV South Asian evergreen tree ( Cananga odorata ) of the custard apple family. The name means “flower of flowers” in the Tagalog language. Tall (77 ft, or 25 m) and slim, it has smooth bark and is covered year-round with drooping, long- stalked, rich-scented flowers that have six narrow, greenish-yellow petals. The pointed oval leaves have wavy edges. Clustered, oval black fruits hang from long stalks. Leis are made from the blooms, and a delicate fragrance is distilled from the flowers. The woody ylang-ylang vine ( Art - abotrys odoratissimus), in the same family, is popular on trellises and patios in warm, moist climates.