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adjective HSK 6
àn
dim · dark · gloomy

Meaning

黯 describes a dim, dark, or shadowy quality, often with emotional connotations of gloom or sadness. It typically appears in literary or formal contexts to describe both physical darkness and metaphorical emotional states.

Usage

This is a relatively literary character rarely used alone in everyday speech. It most commonly appears in compounds like 黯淡 (àndàn, dim/gloomy) or the chengyu 黯然失色 (ànrán shīsè, to pale by comparison). Native speakers use it to add a poetic or melancholic tone.

Examples

  1. 01
    他的前途变得黯淡无光。
    Tā de qiántú biàn de àn dàn wú guāng.
    His prospects became dim and bleak.
  2. 02
    听到这个消息后，她黯然离开了。
    Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi hòu, tā àn rán líkāi le.
    After hearing this news, she left dejectedly.

Common collocations

  • 黯淡
    àn dàn
    dim and dull
  • 黯然
    àn rán
    dejected, gloomy
  • 黯然失色
    àn rán shī sè
    to pale by comparison
  • 黯然神伤
    àn rán shén shāng
    dejected and dispirited

Antonyms

Origin

黯 is a semantic-phonetic compound with the radical 黑 (black) indicating meaning and 音 (yīn, sound) providing the phonetic component. The character originally emphasized deep, shadowy darkness.

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