暗暗 (àn àn) — secretly, inwardly | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

暗暗 (àn'àn) is an adverb meaning 'secretly / inwardly' — it describes a feeling, thought, or reaction hidden inside a person, not shown to others. It usually modifies a verb about emotion or mental action (暗暗喜欢, 暗暗决定).

bound form

secretlyinwardly

Examples

暗暗。
Tā àn àn xǐ huan tā hěn jiǔ le.
He has secretly liked her for a long time.
暗暗。
Tā àn àn xià dìng jué xīn yào gǎi biàn zì jǐ.
She inwardly resolved to change herself.
暗暗。
Dà jiā dōu àn àn wèi tā niē yì bǎ hàn.
Everyone was secretly nervous for him.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

暗ànsecret

暗ànsecret

Repeating 暗 gives a quiet, inward sense of doing something.

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.

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.

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.

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