The word "隐瞒" is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create a unified concept. The first character, "隐" (yǐn), carries the core idea of concealing, hiding, or keeping something out of sight. The second character, "瞒" (mán), adds the specific nuance of deception or deliberately keeping someone in the dark, often by lying or omitting the truth. When joined, they create a compound where "隐" describes the state or action of hiding, and "瞒" defines the nature of that act as willfully deceitful, together forming the complete sense of "to conceal or hide (the truth) deliberately".