哑谜

啞謎
yǎmí
noun #32,688

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 puzzle; riddle that hides its real meaning
  2. 2 mystery; cryptic remark

Examples

Nǐ bié dǎ yǎmí le, zhíjiē shuō ba.
Stop talking in riddles — just say it straight.
Tā de huà xiàng yīgè yǎmí, ràng rén mōbuzháo tóunǎo.
His words were like a riddle — no one could make sense of them.

Tips

usage
The locked-in collocation is 哑谜 (dǎ yǎmí, 'play a riddle / talk in riddles') — used when you accuse someone of being deliberately cryptic instead of speaking plainly. Literally 'mute riddle': a message wrapped so silently you have to crack it yourself.
memory
means 'mute/silent' — the riddle 'speaks' without saying anything directly, like the way 哑剧 (yǎjù, 'mime') tells a story without words. Combine with 'riddle' and you get a riddle that withholds its real subject.

Stroke Order