阴暗

陰暗

yīn'àn

adjective HSK 7 #8,248

Meanings

1 dark; gloomy; dim (of a place)
2 sinister; shady; dark (of personality or motives)

Characters

dark; cloudy; yin (opposite of yang)

dark; dim; hidden

Both characters mean dark — together they intensify the sense of gloom, physical or psychological.

Examples

这条小巷很阴暗。

Zhè tiáo xiǎoxiàng hěn yīn'àn.

This alley is very dark and gloomy.

他的心理有些阴暗。

Tā de xīnlǐ yǒuxiē yīn'àn.

His mentality is somewhat dark.

阴暗的角落里藏着一只猫。

Yīn'àn de jiǎoluò lǐ cáng zhe yī zhī māo.

A cat was hiding in a dark corner.

Tips

usage

阴暗 works for both physical darkness (dim rooms, gloomy weather) and figurative darkness (sinister thoughts, shady dealings). 阴暗面 (yīn'àn miàn) means 'the dark side' of something.

Stroke Order

阴 yīn

暗 àn