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暗
àn
dark
房间里很暗，我开了灯。
The room was very dark, so I turned on the light.
formal
Lacking light; not bright or illuminated.
天色暗下来了。
The sky is getting dark.
Used to describe physical darkness in environments, time of day, or abstract lack of clarity.
formal
Secret or hidden; not openly acknowledged.
暗中帮助他。
Help him secretly.
Often used in contexts like '暗中交易' (secret deal), '暗中调查' (undercover investigation).
formal
Dull or not shining; lacking brightness.
这块布料颜色暗。
This fabric is dark in color.
Refers to colors that are not bright or vivid.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Common Collocations
Remember that 暗 often pairs with other characters to form meaningful phrases. For example, '暗示' (hint), '暗号' (password/code), '暗中' (secretly), and '暗淡' (dim/bleak).
Gold Rule
Dark vs. Black
While '暗' can mean 'dark,' it does not mean 'black' (黑). '暗' describes a lack of light, whereas '黑' refers to the color black itself. For example, '暗房' (darkroom) vs. '黑房间' (black room).
Word Origin
From Old Chinese *ʔrɯːms (暗), related to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋam (dark). The character 暗 combines 日 (sun) and 音 (sound), suggesting a phonetic component and a semantic component indicating darkness.
Usage Notes
暗 is commonly used in both literal (physical darkness) and figurative (hidden, secret) contexts. It is often paired with other characters to form compound words like '暗示' (hint), '暗号' (code), or '暗中' (in secret).
Word Breakdown
日
sun; day
root音
sound; phonetic component
root汉英词典