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阴森 (yīn sēn) — gloomy, eerie, ghastly (describing atmosphere)

Definition

Used for places and atmospheres (a house, forest, cemetery) that feel dark and scary. Stronger and more unsettling than just 'gloomy' — emphasizes the eerie, frightening quality.

verb
gloomyeerieghastly (describing atmosphere)

Examples

  • 阴森。
    Nà dòng lǎo fáng zi kàn qǐ lái hěn yīn sēn.
    That old house looks very gloomy.
  • ，阴森。
    Zǒu jìn nà piàn sēn lín, qì fen fēi cháng yīn sēn.
    Entering that forest, the atmosphere is very eerie.
  • 阴森。
    Yè wǎn de mù dì xiǎn de gé wài yīn sēn.
    The cemetery at night appears especially ghastly.

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yīndark
森sēngloomy

阴 (dark) and 森 (gloomy) combine to describe a dim, eerie atmosphere.

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 →

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

The form 森 stacks three tree-like shapes to show many trees in a forest.

Open 森 →
Appears in
AppearanceEmotions & Feelings

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