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暗处 (àn chù) — dark place; hidden place; secret place

Definition

noun
dark placehidden placesecret place
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 暗处。
    Tā zài àn chù zhǎo dào le diū shī de yào shi.
    He found the lost keys in the dark place.
  • 暗处，。
    Zhè ge mì mì cáng zài àn chù, méi rén zhī dào.
    This secret is hidden in a secret place, no one knows.
  • 暗处，。
    Bú yào yí gè rén qù àn chù, tài wēi xiǎn le.
    Don't go to a dark place alone, it's too dangerous.

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.

暗àndark
处chùplace

暗 gives the sense of dark or hidden, and 处 gives a place, so together they mean a dark or hidden place.

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
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
音
音yīn暗àn
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.

Open 暗 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
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