About
暗 (àn) is a phono-semantic compound: 日 (rì) represents the meaning, and 音 (yīn) represents the sound. Although the sun radical might seem contradictory for a character meaning 'dark', it originally referred to the sun's light being obscured or absent. From this literal darkness, the meaning expanded to describe things hidden, secret, or done clandestinely. Thus, the character can describe both physical lack of light and the concealment of intentions or information.
Example Sentences Hide
这个房间很暗。
晚上没有灯很暗。
他在暗中帮助我。
她暗示我离开。
黑暗中有奇怪的声音。
我们用了暗号联系。
他暗地里做了很多准备。
在暗淡的月光下他慢慢走着。
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