黑

hēi

⑧ + 灬

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 5

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

Originally a pictograph of a person with a tattooed face, a punishment that left permanent black marks (now written 墨), the character 黑 was later reimagined as a chimney blackened by soot. In this reinterpretation, the upper part encloses the soot, while the four dots (the fire radical 灬) at the bottom represent flames, shaped to resemble 炎. Its core meaning remains the color black, with extended senses covering metaphorical darkness: hidden schemes, illegal operations, secret societies, malice, and lightless environments.

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

我的衬衫是黑色的。

Wǒ de chènshān shì hēisè de.

My shirt is black.

他喜欢穿黑衣服。

Tā xǐhuān chuān hēi yīfu.

He likes to wear black clothes.

猫在黑暗中看不见。

Māo zài hēi'àn zhōng kàn bù jiàn.

Cats can't see in the dark.

晚上，房间变得很黑。

Wǎnshang, fángjiān biàn de hěn hēi.

At night, the room becomes very dark.

黑客入侵了电脑系统。

Hēikè rùqīn le diànnǎo xìtǒng.

Hackers invaded the computer system.

这部电影讲述了黑帮的故事。

Zhè bù diànyǐng jiǎngshù le hēibāng de gùshì.

This movie tells the story of a gang.

由于污染，河水变黑了。

Yóuyú wūrǎn, héshuǐ biàn hēi le.

Due to pollution, the river water turned black.

在黑洞的理论中，时间会扭曲。

Zài hēidòng de lǐlùn zhōng, shíjiān huì niǔqū.

In the theory of black holes, time is distorted.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: ⑧

Component: 灬

Example Words