天昏地暗 (tiān hūn dì àn) — total darkness (literal: sky dim, earth dark); figuratively: chaotic, corrupt, or disastrous situation; dizzy / faint (as in feeling the world spinning)

Definition

A vivid chengyu built from paired images ('sky dim, earth dark'). Used both literally for total darkness and figuratively for chaos or disaster; the dizzy sense adds the idea of the world spinning around the speaker.

idiom
total darkness (literal: sky dim, earth dark)figuratively: chaoticcorruptor disastrous situationdizzy / faint (as in feeling the world spinning)

Examples

  • ，天昏地暗，。
    Bào fēng yǔ lái le, chuāng wài tiān hūn dì àn, shén me dōu kàn bú jiàn.
    The storm came, outside the window was pitch-dark, and nothing could be seen.
  • ，天昏地暗，。
    Nà duàn shí qī zhèng zhì fǔ bài, shè huì tiān hūn dì àn, bǎi xìng shēng huó kùn kǔ.
    During that period, politics was corrupt, society was in chaos, and the people lived in hardship.
  • ，天昏地暗，。
    Tā fā shāo dé lì hài, zhī jué de tiān hūn dì àn, lián zhàn dōu zhàn bú zhù.
    He had a high fever and felt so dizzy that he could hardly stand.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

天昏sky dim
天tiānsky昏hūndim
主谓Subject + predicate
地暗earth dark
地dìearth暗àndark
主谓Subject + predicate

天昏 and 地暗 put sky dim with earth dark, giving total darkness.

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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

昏 combines 日 (sun) with 氏, a part showing lowering or going down. The picture is the sun going down at dusk.

Open 昏 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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 →

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