‘引用’ (yǐn yòng) is a verb meaning 'to quote' or 'to cite'—typically referring to the act of repeating someone else’s words, ideas, or data in your own speech or writing while giving proper credit. The first character 引 (yǐn) means 'to lead', 'to draw in', or 'to introduce'; the second character 用 (yòng) means 'to use'. Together, they literally convey 'to bring in and use' — reflecting how speakers or writers incorporate external sources into their own work. This term is especially common in academic, journalistic, and formal contexts.

Unlike casual paraphrasing, 引用 implies direct or near-direct reproduction of source material, often accompanied by attribution (e.g., author name, publication, page number). It appears frequently in essays, research papers, news reports, and legal documents. While it can be used with written text, it also applies to spoken quotations (e.g., quoting a famous person in a speech). The noun form ‘a quotation’ is usually expressed as 引用语 or 引文, not just 引用 alone.