The Chinese word 阴暗 is formed through the combination of two semantic components, 阴 (yīn) and 暗 (àn), creating a compound word where both characters contribute meaning related to darkness and obscurity. 阴 primarily conveys concepts of shade, overcast conditions, or the absence of light (like a cloudy sky), while 暗 directly means dark, dim, or hidden. When paired, their meanings reinforce and complement each other, producing a nuanced term that describes a state of being both physically dark and psychologically gloomy, dismal, or morally murky, thus exemplifying a common Chinese lexical pattern where synonymous or related morphemes combine to intensify or specify a concept.