Precise modification of a chemical site in a molecule at the single-atom level is one of the most elegant yet difficult transformations in chemistry. A reagent specifically designed for chemoselective introduction of monoatomic carbon is a particularly formidable challenge. Here, we report a straightforward, azide-free synthesis of a crystalline and isolable diazophosphorus ylide, Ph
3
PCN
2
, a stable compound with a carbon atom bonded to two chemically labile groups, triphenylphosphine (PPh
3
) and dinitrogen (N
2
). Without any additives, the diazophosphorus ylide serves as a highly selective transfer reagent for fragments, including Ph
3
PC, to deliver phosphorus ylide–terminated heterocumulenes and CN
2
to produce multisubstituted pyrazoles. Ultimately, even exclusive carbon-atom transfer is possible. In reactions with aldehydes and acyclic and cyclic ketones (R
2
C=O), the carbon-atom substitution forms a vinylidene (R
2
C=C:) en route to alkynes or butatrienes.