掩

yǎn

奄 + 扌

Frequency#1514

Definitions

yǎn (verb) to cover up; to conceal

yǎn (verb) to close; to shut

yǎn (verb) to take by surprise

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 奄 represents the sound.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 奄

About

The character "掩" is structured with the hand radical (扌) on the left and the component "奄" on the right, where the radical indicates manual action and "奄" contributes both sound and a semantic association with covering. Etymologically, the character initially conveyed physical acts such as covering, shutting, or concealing objects. Over time, its usage expanded to encompass more abstract applications, including the masking of emotions or the obscuring of information, while its core meaning remained tied to actions of concealment or closure.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他掩饰了情绪。

Tā yǎnshìle qíngxù.

He concealed his emotions.

垃圾被掩埋在地下。

Lājī bèi yǎnmái zài dìxià.

The garbage was buried underground.

士兵掩护平民撤退。

Shìbīng yǎnhù píngmín chètuì.

The soldiers covered the civilians' retreat.

绿树掩映着红墙。

Lǜ shù yǎnyìngzhe hóng qiáng.

Green trees set off the red wall.

她用手遮掩了阳光。

Tā yòng shǒu zhēyǎnle yángguāng.

She used her hand to shield the sunlight.

他试图掩盖错误，但失败了。

Tā shìtú yǎngài cuòwù, dàn shībàile.

He tried to cover up the mistake, but failed.

尽管他掩饰得很好，还是露出了破绽。

Jǐnguǎn tā yǎnshì dé hěn hǎo, háishì lòuchūle pòzhàn.

Although he concealed it very well, he still revealed flaws.

在夜幕的掩蔽下，部队悄悄前进。

Zài yèmù de yǎnbì xià, bùduì qiāoqiāo qiánjìn.

Under the cover of night, the troops advanced quietly.

Related Characters

Component: 奄

Component: 扌

掩