TongTong
Sign in

内幕 (nèi mù) — inside story; confidential information not known to the public

Definition

内幕 means 'inside story' — confidential information about events (deals, scandals, politics) hidden from the public. Unlike 内 or 内部, it focuses on hidden facts, not physical interior space.

noun
inside storyconfidential information not known to the public

Examples

  • 内幕。
    Zhè piān bào dào jiē lù le zhèng jiè de nèi mù.
    This report exposes the inside story of the political world.
  • 内幕。
    Zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù rén zhī dào nà bǐ jiāo yì de nèi mù.
    Only a few people know the inside story of that deal.
  • 内幕。
    Gōng sī gāo céng jù jué tòu lù bìng gòu de nèi mù.
    The company's top management refused to disclose the inside story of the merger.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

内nèiinside
幕mùcurtain

"内" means inside and "幕" means curtain, suggesting information hidden behind the curtain.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 入入rùto enter
  • 冂冂jiōnghouse

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

Open 内 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò幕mù
Same sound today

幕 combines 莫 above 巾 (cloth); 莫 gives the sound.

Open 幕 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.