烟幕 (yān mù) — smoke screen (literal, used militarily to conce…

Definition

Literal military term (smoke used to conceal troops) extended as a metaphor for any deliberate action or words meant to hide the truth.

noun

smoke screen (literal, used militarily to conceal movement)smoke screen (figurative, actions or words intended to hide the truth)

Measure word · 道

，烟幕。
Jūn shì yǎn xí zhōng, tā men shǐ yòng yān mù lái yǎn hù bù duì.
During the military exercise, they used a smoke screen to cover the troops.
烟幕，。
Tā shuō de nà xiē huà zhǐ shì yān mù, mù dì shì zhuǎn yí dà jiā de zhù yì lì.
Those words he said were just a smoke screen, aimed at diverting everyone's attention.
烟幕，。
Zhè jiā gōng sī fā bù jiǎ xīn wén zuò wéi yān mù, yǎn gài cái wù wèn tí.
This company released fake news as a smoke screen to cover up financial problems.

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.

幕mùcurtain

烟 gives smoke and 幕 gives curtain: a curtain of smoke.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

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

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, 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.

莫巾幕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

巾巾jīncloth

Sound part声符shēngfú

莫

Same sound today

幕 combines 莫 above 巾 (cloth); 莫 gives the sound.

Appears in