ambiguous; foolish; ignorant
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesadjective
ambiguous; unclear; shady
formalDescribes relationships, situations, or meanings that are unclear, not openly acknowledged, or morally dubious. Often used in formal or literary contexts.
Tā他
men们
de的
guān关
xì系
yǒu有
xiē些
àn暗
mèi昧
，
wài外
rén人
hěn很
nán难
kàn看
dǒng懂
。
Their relationship is somewhat ambiguous, hard for outsiders to understand.
Zhè这
bǐ笔
jiāo交
yì易
bèi背
hòu后
yǒu有
àn暗
mèi昧
zhī之
chù处
。
There are shady aspects behind this deal.
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Duì对
yú于
nà那
duàn段
lì历
shǐ史
，
guān官
fāng方
jì记
zǎi载
shí十
fēn分
àn暗
mèi昧
。
The official records of that period of history are very ambiguous.
adjective
foolish; ignorant; benighted
literaryDescribes a state of being unenlightened, lacking knowledge, or having primitive understanding. It has a somewhat archaic or formal literary flavor.
Tā他
dāng当
shí时
nián年
shào少
àn暗
mèi昧
，
zuò做
le了
xǔ许
duō多
cuò错
shì事
。
He was young and foolish back then and did many wrong things.
Zài在
gǔ古
dài代
，
yī一
xiē些
àn暗
mèi昧
de的
xí习
sú俗
bèi被
zhú逐
jiàn渐
pāo抛
qì弃
。
In ancient times, some benighted customs were gradually abandoned.
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Àn暗
mèi昧
měng懵
dǒng懂
，
bù不
biàn辨
shì是
fēi非
。
Ignorant and muddle-headed, unable to distinguish right from wrong.