Definitions

hēi (adjective) black; dark
hēi (adjective) sinister; shady; illegal
hēi (verb) to hide away; to conceal

Etymology

Pictograph of a person whose face has been tattooed, now written as . In ancient China criminals were punished by having their faces permanently marked. Later writers reanalyzed the character as a chimney being blackened by fire, so the bottom component was written to look like (flame).

About

The character 黑 is a pictographic-ideographic representation of black or darkness. Its structure originally depicted a chimney with smoke rising, accumulating as soot at the top, while the four dots 灬 at the bottom signify the fire producing it. This design directly connects the character's form to the natural process of creating black residue. Its primary meaning, the color black, has remained stable, while extended uses describe metaphorical darkness, such as hidden activities, illicit operations, secret societies, malicious intent, or complete absence of light.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的衬衫是色的。

Wǒ de chènshān shì hēisè de.

My shirt is black.

他喜欢穿衣服。

Tā xǐhuān chuān hēi yīfu.

He likes to wear black clothes.

猫在暗中看不见。

Māo zài hēi'àn zhōng kàn bù jiàn.

Cats can't see in the dark.

晚上,房间变得很

Wǎnshang, fángjiān biàn de hěn hēi.

At night, the room becomes very dark.

客入侵了电脑系统。

Hēikè rùqīn le diànnǎo xìtǒng.

Hackers invaded the computer system.

这部电影讲述了帮的故事。

Zhè bù diànyǐng jiǎngshù le hēibāng de gùshì.

This movie tells the story of a gang.

由于污染,河水变了。

Yóuyú wūrǎn, héshuǐ biàn hēi le.

Due to pollution, the river water turned black.

洞的理论中,时间会扭曲。

Zài hēidòng de lǐlùn zhōng, shíjiān huì niǔqū.

In the theory of black holes, time is distorted.