hēi àn
dark; darkness; murk
我在黑暗中行走。
wǒ zài hēi'àn zhōng xíngzǒu.
I am walking in the darkness.
房间里很黑暗。
fángjiān lǐ hěn hēi'àn.
The room is very dark.
我害怕黑暗。
wǒ hàipà hēi'àn.
I am afraid of the dark.
光明 (guāngmíng)
bright
明亮 (míngliàng)
bright
Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.
Get Started FreeThe Chinese word 黑暗 (hēi'àn) for "darkness" is composed of two characters: 黑 (hēi), meaning "black," and 暗 (àn), meaning "dark." The character 黑 originally depicted a person crouching in a cave, symbolizing darkness. Over time, the character evolved to its current form, which resembles a person with their eyes closed, further emphasizing the concept of darkness. The character 暗, on the other hand, is composed of two parts: 日 (rì), meaning "sun," and 昧 (mèi), meaning "to cover." Together, they convey the idea of the sun being covered, resulting in darkness. When combined, 黑暗 (hēi'àn) forms a powerful compound word that encapsulates the concept of deep darkness or obscurity.