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灰暗 (huī àn) — (of color) dark gray, murky gray; (of mood, atmosphere) gloomy, dismal

Definition

Literally 'ash-dark': the literal sense is a dark, murky gray (sky, light), and metaphorically gloomy, dismal mood or atmosphere. Pairs with 心情, 前景, 色调.

adjective
(of color) dark graymurky gray(of mood, atmosphere) gloomydismal

Examples

  • 灰暗，。
    Tiān kōng huī àn, kuài yào xià yǔ le.
    The sky is dark gray; it's about to rain.
  • 灰暗。
    Nà bù diàn yǐng de jié jú hěn huī àn.
    The ending of that movie is very gloomy.
  • 灰暗，。
    Tā zuì jìn xīn qíng huī àn, shén me dōu bù xiǎng zuò.
    He's been in a gloomy mood lately and doesn't feel like doing anything.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

灰huīgray
暗àndark

'灰' and '暗' both describe dimness, together giving a murky, gloomy quality.

Characters in this word

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

灰 shows 火 (fire) that can be touched by 又 (hand), meaning ash.

Open 灰 →

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 →
Appears in
Colors

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