Definitions

ài (of daylight) dim; obscure; clandestine; dubious

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character describes a state of being dim, obscure, or visually unclear, and it is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-side component, the radical (sun), points to the core meaning of sunlight being obscured or insufficient. The right side, , indicates the pronunciation; this simplified form replaces the traditional , which used the full component . Over time, the definition broadened from physical dimness of light to include ambiguous attitudes, unclear interpersonal relationships, and vague romantic situations.

Example Sentences Hide

他们的关系很昧。

Tāmen de guānxi hěn àimèi.

Their relationship is very ambiguous.

他对她的态度有点昧。

Tā duì tā de tàidù yǒudiǎn àimèi.

His attitude towards her is somewhat ambiguous.

这种昧的说法让人困惑。

Zhè zhǒng àimèi de shuōfǎ ràng rén kùnhuò.

This kind of ambiguous statement makes people confused.

为了避免昧,他直接说明了意图。

Wèile bìmiǎn àimèi, tā zhíjiē shuōmíng le yìtú.

To avoid ambiguity, he directly stated his intention.

政治家的昧言辞常常引发争议。

Zhèngzhìjiā de àimèi yáncí chángcháng yǐnfā zhēngyì.

Politicians' ambiguous remarks often spark controversy.

尽管关系昧,他们还是保持了朋友关系。

Jǐnguǎn guānxi àimèi, tāmen háishì bǎochíle péngyou guānxi.

Despite the ambiguous relationship, they still maintained a friendship.

艺术作品中昧的情感表达吸引了许多观众。

Yìshù zuòpǐn zhōng àimèi de qínggǎn biǎodá xīyǐnle xǔduō guānzhòng.

The ambiguous expression of emotion in artistic works attracts many viewers.

在跨文化交际中,昧的语言可能导致严重的误解。

Zài kuà wénhuà jiāojì zhōng, àimèi de yǔyán kěnéng dǎozhì yánzhòng de wùjiě.

In cross-cultural communication, ambiguous language may lead to serious misunderstandings.