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隐秘 (yǐn mì) — hidden, secret, concealed

Definition

A literary/formal adjective meaning 'hidden, secret' — applied to places, activities, or truths that are deliberately concealed. Stronger in tone than everyday 秘密, which leans toward the noun sense ('a secret').

adjective
hiddensecretconcealed

Examples

  • 隐秘。
    Tā de xíng zōng fēi cháng yǐn mì.
    His whereabouts are very secret.
  • 隐秘，。
    Zhè ge shān dòng de wèi zhì hěn yǐn mì, hěn shǎo yǒu rén zhī dào.
    The location of this cave is very hidden; very few people know about it.
  • 隐秘。
    Tā men jìn xíng le yí cì yǐn mì de huì miàn.
    They had a secret meeting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

隐yǐnhidden
秘mìsecret

隐 'hidden' and 秘 'secret' combine to mean concealed or secret.

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 隱; 隐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㥯
㥯㥯隱yǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隱 pairs 阝 (阜) with 㥯 to give the sound; the simplified 隐 is a shorthand, so its right side is not 㥯.

Open 隐 →

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
必
必bì秘Bì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 必 part gives 秘 its sound. The 禾 side replaced an older ritual marker, linking it to secret rituals and arcane meaning.

Open 秘 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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