in private; on the sly; behind someone's back
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesadverb
in secret; privately; on the sly
Used to describe actions done without others' knowledge, often with a sense of concealment. The variant '暗地' is also acceptable.
Tā他
men们
àn暗
dì地
lǐ里
gōu勾
jié结
，
sǔn损
hài害
gōng公
sī司
lì利
yì益
。
They colluded in secret to harm the company's interests.
Tīng听
dào到
huài坏
xiāo消
xi息
，
tā她
àn暗
dì地
lǐ里
zhí直
diào掉
yǎn眼
lèi泪
。
Hearing the bad news, she kept crying privately.
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Tā他
àn暗
dì地
lǐ里
zī资
zhù助
nà那
ge个
pín贫
kùn困
xué学
sheng生
。
He supported that poor student in private.
Bié别
kàn看
tā他
biǎo表
miàn面
píng平
jìng静
，
àn暗
dì地
lǐ里
zǎo早
yǒu有
jì计
huà划
。
He may look calm on the surface, but he already has a plan on the sly.