密 (mì) — dense, thick (of vegetation, population, etc.); close, intimate (relationship); secret, confidential
Definition
密 (mì) is the adjective stem — it appears in compound words rather than standing alone often. Use 秘密 or 机密 for 'secret' as a noun, and 茂密 for thick vegetation, 浓 for thick liquids.
adjective
densethick (of vegetation, population, etc.)closeintimate (relationship)secretconfidential
Examples
- 密。Zhè ge chéng shì rén kǒu hěn mì.This city has a very dense population.
- 密。Tā men liǎ de guān xì fēi cháng mì.The relationship between those two is very close.
- 密，。Zhè ge wén jiàn shì mì de, bù néng gěi bié rén kàn.This document is confidential and cannot be shown to others.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
宓
宓mì密mì
Same sound today
密 pairs 山 (mountain) with 宓 (mì), which gives the pronunciation, to picture something hidden in the mountains, hence secret.
Appears in
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