TongTong
Sign in

阴霾 (yīn mái) — haze, smog (physical air pollution); (figurative) gloom, oppressive atmosphere or mood

Definition

Literary word for 'haze / smog', used in writing more than everyday speech. Also used figuratively for an oppressive gloom or shadow (in one's heart, a period of history).

noun
hazesmog (physical air pollution)(figurative) gloomoppressive atmosphere or mood

Examples

  • 阴霾，。
    Jīn tiān chéng shì shàng kōng lǒng zhào zhe hòu hòu de yīn mái, néng jiàn dù hěn dī.
    Today a thick haze hangs over the city, with very low visibility.
  • 阴霾，。
    Tā xīn zhōng jiǔ jiǔ bú sàn de yīn mái, zhí dào péng you ān wèi hòu cái jiàn jiàn xiāo sàn.
    The gloom in his heart lingered for a long time, only gradually dissipating after his friend comforted him.
  • 阴霾。
    Jīng jì wēi jī dài lái de yīn mái ràng zhěng gè háng yè dōu gǎn dào yā yì.
    The oppressive atmosphere brought by the economic crisis made the entire industry feel stifled.

Origin

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.

阴yīngloomy
霾máihaze

“阴” means gloomy or cloudy and “霾” means haze, together naming a dark, oppressive haze.

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
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
貍
貍lí霾mái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 雨 relates to rain or sky, and the bottom 貍 is the sound part.

Appears in
Environment & EcologyWeather

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