黑暗

• Pinyin: hēi àn
• Hanzi breakdown: 黑 = pictograph of a window with soot, representing the colour black; 暗 = 日 (sun) + 音 (sound, phonetic) — the sun hidden, meaning dim or dark

Meaning

Dark; darkness. The absence of light, or figuratively describing something sinister, corrupt, or bleak.

Used both literally for lack of light and figuratively for corruption, injustice, or hopelessness. Common collocations include 黑暗的夜晚 (dark night), 黑暗势力 (dark forces), and 黑暗时期 (dark period). In figurative use, it often carries strong negative connotations about society or human behaviour.

Examples

1. 房间里太黑暗了，请把灯打开。 The room is too dark; please turn on the light.
2. 孩子怕黑暗，晚上睡觉要开着灯。 The child is afraid of the dark and needs the light on to sleep.
3. 经过那段黑暗的日子，他变得更坚强了。 After going through that dark period, he became stronger.

Usage Guide

Context: description, literature, figurative

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 外面太黑暗了，小心走路。(It's too dark outside; be careful walking.)
• 那是一段黑暗的历史。(That was a dark period of history.)

Don't Say

• 今天天气很黑暗 (Don't use 黑暗 for overcast weather — use 阴天 or 天色暗; 黑暗 means total darkness or figurative evil)

Origin & History

黑 (hēi, black) + 暗 (àn, dim/hidden) — combining 'black' with 'dim' to mean the absence of light or something hidden in shadow.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal