黑

hēi

HSK 2.0 2

HSK 3.0 5

Rank #519

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 墨. 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 炎 (flame).

About

The character "黑" derives from early conceptualizations of soot or smoke residues, inherently connecting it to the color black through its association with fire and combustion. Its evolved structure, while now largely abstract, retains compositional hints of this origin, traditionally interpreted as combining elements suggestive of a chimney opening with those representing flame or smoke, though these have condensed into a fixed set of strokes. Semantically, the term initially designated the darkest hue but gradually acquired extended metaphorical meanings, encompassing notions of obscurity, covert activities, and moral negativity, thus reflecting broader cultural connotations attached to darkness while the character's graphical representation remained stable.