暗门 (àn mén) — hidden door, secret door (often concealed in a…

Definition

noun

hidden doorsecret door (often concealed in a wall or piece of furniture)

Measure word · 扇

暗门。
Zhè miàn qiáng hòu miàn yǒu yí dào àn mén.
There is a hidden door behind this wall.
暗门。
Tā zài shū fáng de shū jià hòu zhǎo dào le yí gè àn mén.
He found a secret door behind the bookshelf in the study.
暗门。
Zhè zuò gǔ bǎo lǐ yǒu hěn duō àn mén hé mì dào.
There are many hidden doors and secret passages in this ancient castle.

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.

“暗” (hidden) gives “门” (door) a concealed 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.

日音暗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

音

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Appears in