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黑暗面 (hēi àn miàn) — the dark side; the seamy side (of society, human nature, etc.)

Definition

Literally 'dark side / dark aspect', it pairs with its opposite 光明面 ('bright side') to contrast the negative, hidden, or morally questionable aspects of a person, society, or story with the positive ones.

noun
the dark sidethe seamy side (of society, human nature, etc.)

Examples

  • 黑暗面。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiē lù le rén xìng de hēi àn miàn.
    This film reveals the dark side of human nature.
  • 黑暗面。
    Lì shǐ shū hěn shǎo xiě shè huì de hēi àn miàn.
    History books rarely write about the seamy side of society.
  • 黑暗面。
    Měi yí gè gù shi dōu yǒu tā de guāng míng miàn hé hēi àn miàn.
    Every story has its bright side and its dark side.

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.

黑暗darkness
黑hēiblack暗àndark
联合Coordinate
面miànside

黑 and 暗 together mean dark, and 面 gives the side or aspect.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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