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匿名 (nì míng) — to remain anonymous; to keep one's identity hidden

Definition

A verb meaning to keep one's name hidden, used when someone acts (reports, donates, posts) without revealing their identity. Distinguish from the related adjective 匿名 (nìmíng) 'anonymous' modifying a noun.

verb
to remain anonymousto keep one's identity hidden

Examples

  • 匿名。
    Tā jué dìng nì míng jǔ bào gōng sī de wéi fǎ xíng wéi.
    He decided to anonymously report the company's illegal activities.
  • 匿名。
    Hěn duō rén zài wǎng shàng nì míng fā biǎo yì jiàn.
    Many people express their opinions anonymously online.
  • 匿名，。
    Zhè wèi juān zèng zhě xuǎn zé nì míng, bú yuàn gōng kāi xìng míng.
    This donor chose to remain anonymous and did not want to reveal his name.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

匿nìhide
名míngname

匿 hides and 名 names: keeping one's name hidden.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
匸匸xìto conceal
Sound part声符shēngfú
若
若ruò匿nì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

匿 pairs 匸, meaning to conceal, with 若, which gives the sound.

Open 匿 →

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.