隐隐 (yǐn yǐn) — (adverb) faintly, indistinctly, vaguely (of sou…

Definition

Bound adverb meaning 'faintly, vaguely, dimly' — describes a sound, sensation, or sight that is barely perceptible. Almost always reduplicated (AABB) as 隐隐的.

adverb

faintlyindistinctlyvaguely (of sounds, feelings, or sights)

Examples

隐隐。
Yuǎn chù yǐn yǐn chuán lái yì shǒu shú xi de gē.
From afar, a familiar song came faintly.
隐隐。
Tā xīn zhōng yǐn yǐn yǒu xiē bù shū fu de gǎn jué.
He vaguely felt a bit uncomfortable inside.
隐隐，。
Shāng kǒu chù yǐn yǐn zuò tòng, dàn bú tài yán zhòng.
The wound aches faintly, but it's not too serious.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

隐yǐnfaint

The faint sense of 隐 is repeated as 隐隐, giving a vague, indistinct quality.

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.

阝㥯隱

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 →