昏暗 (hūn àn) — dim, dusky | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

dimdusky

Examples

昏暗，。
Zhè ge fáng jiān tài hūn àn le, wǒ shén me dōu kàn bú jiàn.
This room is too dim, I can't see anything.
，昏暗。
Huáng hūn shí, jiē dào biàn de hūn àn qǐ lái.
At dusk, the street became dusky.
昏暗，。
Shù lín lǐ hěn hūn àn, yào xiǎo xīn zǒu lù.
The forest is very dim, be careful walking.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

昏暗 combines 昏 'dusky' and 暗 'dark' to mean dim.

Characters in this word

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

氏日昏

氏氏shì
日日rìsun

昏 combines 日 (sun) with 氏, a part showing lowering or going down. The picture is the sun going down at dusk.

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

日音暗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

日日rìsun

Sound part声符shēngfú

音

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

暗 pairs 日 (sun) with 音, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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