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愚昧 (yú mèi) — ignorant, uneducated, benighted (with a sense of backwardness or obscurantism)

Definition

A strong, formal word for 'ignorant' or 'benighted' — typically describes backward ideas, attitudes, or social conditions rather than a person's intelligence. Stronger and more written than 无知; carries more condemnation than 盲目.

adjective
ignorantuneducatedbenighted (with a sense of backwardness or obscurantism)

Examples

  • 愚昧。
    Tā nà zhǒng yú mèi de guān diǎn zǎo jiù bèi kē xué tuī fān le.
    That benighted view of his was long ago overturned by science.
  • 愚昧，。
    Zhǐ yǒu bǎi tuō yú mèi, shè huì cái néng zhēn zhèng jìn bù.
    Only by escaping ignorance can society truly progress.
  • 愚昧。
    Nà ge shí qī de yú mèi fēng qì lìng rén tàn xī.
    The benighted atmosphere of that period is lamentable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

愚yúfoolish
昧mèidark/ignorant

愚 means “foolish” and 昧 means “dark/ignorant,” so it conveys benighted ignorance.

Characters in this word

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú愚yú
Same sound today

愚 pairs 心 (heart) with 禺 for the sound; the heart part relates to the sense of foolishness.

Open 愚 →

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
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
未
未wèi昧mèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 昧 combines 日 (sun; day) with 未, which gives a clue to its sound.

Open 昧 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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