暗 àn dark
dark; covert; hidden
How to remember 暗: 日 sun + 音 sound = dark. When the sun goes down, the kids in the tent hear a strange sound outside and huddle together in the sudden dark.
Component breakdown
暗 = 日 sun + 音 sound
- 日 sun
- 音 sound
- 立 stand
- 日 sun
When the sun goes down, the kids in the tent hear a strange sound outside and huddle together in the sudden dark.
How it is used
- Adjective for dim/dark light, and by extension "hidden, covert" - 房间很暗 fángjiān hěn àn, "the room is dark".
- 暗 vs 黑 hēi: 黑 is the color black or total darkness, 暗 is a lack of brightness (dim, dusky) - a dim room is 暗 not 黑.
- 暗示 ànshì "to hint" and 暗地里 àndìlǐ "secretly, behind the scenes" both carry a sense of concealment or indirectness, stronger than neutral 悄悄地 qiāoqiāo de "quietly".
- 暗中 ànzhōng is an adverbial meaning "covertly, on the sly", often paired with verbs of scheming or investigating: 暗中调查 ànzhōng diàochá, to investigate secretly.