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阴暗 (yīn àn) — dim; dark; overcast (literal); (fig.) gloomy; dismal; somber (of mood, expression, atmosphere, etc.)

Definition

阴暗 paints a place or mood as gloomily dim — like a dark corner or a dismal atmosphere. It focuses on the oppressive feel, stronger than 暗 (just 'dark') and less severe than 黑暗 (sinister/oppressive) or 惨 (miserable/tragic).

adjective
dimdarkovercast (literal)(fig.) gloomydismalsomber (of mood, expression, atmosphere, etc.)

Examples

  • 阴暗，。
    Zhè ge jiǎo luò hěn yīn àn, méi yǒu dēng.
    This corner is very dark; there's no light.
  • ，阴暗。
    Tīng dào nà ge huài xiāo xi, dà jiā de xīn qíng dōu hěn yīn àn.
    Upon hearing that bad news, everyone's mood was very gloomy.
  • 阴暗。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō de jié jú tài yīn àn le.
    The ending of this novel is too gloomy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

阴yīndim
暗àndark

阴 and 暗 both convey dimness and darkness, together describing low light or gloom.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsWeather

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