暧 (ài): dim; obscure

Meanings

1 dim; obscure
2 ambiguous; vague (of attitude or relationship)

Characters

暧

ài

dim; ambiguous

Examples

HSK 7-9

他们的关系很暧昧，不是朋友也不是情侣。

Tāmen de guānxì hěn àimèi, búshì péngyou yě búshì qínglǚ.

Their relationship is fuzzy, neither friends nor a couple.

HSK 7-9

他给了一个暧昧含糊的回答。

Tā gěi le yí gè àimèi hánhú de huídá.

He gave a vague, evasive answer.

Tips

usage

Almost always in 暧昧 (àimèi). Beyond literal dimness, it most often describes a romantically ambiguous relationship, or a deliberately unclear attitude or wording.

Components

radical

日 rì

sun; day

The sun radical 日 on the left gives the literal sense of dim daylight, which extends figuratively to anything murky or unclear.

phonetic

爱 ài

to love

爱 (ài, to love) supplies the exact sound. By coincidence the romantic ambiguity sense of 暧昧 sits nicely beside the love character.

Stroke Order

暧 ài

Related Words

暧暧远人村 ài ài yuǎn rén cūn

dim and faint, the distant villages of men / (fig.) the hazy, half-visible houses in the far distance of a peaceful pastoral scene / (lit.) dim-dim far human village

暧昧关系 àimèi guānxi #28,676

ambiguous romantic relationship / unclear/undefined relationship / affair / shady relationship

暧昧期 àimèiqī

the talking stage (pre-relationship flirting phase) / ambiguous dating period

暧昧 àimèi #14,755

ambiguous / vague / flirtatious (of a relationship) / dubious; shady

模糊 móhu HSK 5 #5,670

vague; indistinct; fuzzy; blurry / to blur; to obscure

暗 àn HSK 4 #2,652

dark; dim / secret; hidden; covert

点心 diǎnxin HSK 7-9 #4,821

dim sum / pastry / light refreshment / snack

昏 hūn HSK 6 #4,132

dizzy; muddled; confused / to faint; to lose consciousness / dusk; twilight; dim

隐晦 yǐnhuì #23,839

vague / ambiguous / obscure / veiled

态度 tàidu HSK 2 #2,018

attitude / manner