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隐约 (yǐn yuē) — vague; faint; indistinct

Definition

Describes something sensed faintly — a memory, sound, or shape just barely perceptible. Compared with 模糊 (out-of-focus/blurred) and 朦胧 (hazy, dim light), 隐约 points to something present but hard to grasp.

adjective
vaguefaintindistinct

Examples

  • 隐约。
    Wǒ yǐn yuē jì de xiǎo shí hou fā shēng guò zhè jiàn shì.
    I vaguely remember this incident happening when I was a child.
  • 隐约。
    Yuǎn chù chuán lái yǐn yuē de qín shēng.
    The faint sound of a zither came from afar.
  • 隐约。
    Tā liǎn shàng lù chū yǐn yuē de xiào róng.
    A faint smile appeared on his face.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

隐yǐnhidden
约yuēapproximate

Both 隐 and 约 suggest something hidden or only approximate, giving a faint, indistinct sense.

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 隱; 隐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㥯
㥯㥯隱yǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隱 pairs 阝 (阜) with 㥯 to give the sound; the simplified 隐 is a shorthand, so its right side is not 㥯.

Open 隐 →

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 約; 约 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo約yuē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 約 uses 糸, a rope, for its meaning and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 约 is a later shorthand.

Open 约 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Appearance

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