Meaning of 阴影
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (lit. and fig.) shadow
Measure word: 道
How to use 阴影
阴影 can be a literal shadow, but it is very often used for emotional or psychological scars, especially in the phrase 心理阴影 (xīnlǐ yīnyǐng). Example: 那次事故给他留下了心理阴影。(Nà cì shìgù gěi tā liú xià le xīnlǐ yīnyǐng.) That accident left him with a psychological scar.
阴 (yīn) means shade or overcast, as in 阴天 (yīntiān) cloudy day, and 影 (yǐng) means image or shadow, as in 电影 (diànyǐng) movie. Put the shady part and the image part together and you get a shadow, the dark shape left where light cannot reach.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the tones and say yǐnyīng. The correct pattern is first tone then third tone: yīnyǐng. Also, 阴 has the 阝 on the left with 月 on the right, so do not write it as 阳 (yáng, sun), which has 日 on the right.
阴影 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
阴 yīn · overcast · 6 strokes
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影 yǐng · shadow · 15 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 阴影.
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie; film |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 影响 | yǐngxiǎng | influence; effect |
| 影片 | yǐngpiàn | a copy of a film; film; motion picture; movie |
| 阴天 | yīntiān | cloudy day; overcast sky |
| 影视 | yǐngshì | movies and television |
| 影子 | yǐngzi | shadow; reflection |
| 摄影师 | shèyǐngshī | photographer; cinematographer; cameraman |
| 摄影 | shèyǐng | to take a photograph; photography |
| 阴谋 | yīnmóu | to conspire; to plot; a conspiracy; a plot |
| 影响力 | yǐngxiǎnglì | influence; impact |
| 影迷 | yǐngmí | film enthusiast; movie fan |
Questions about 阴影
What does 阴影 mean?
阴影 (yīnyǐng) means "(lit. and fig.) shadow" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 阴影?
阴影 is made of 2 characters: 阴 (6 strokes), 影 (15 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 阴影 an HSK word?
Yes. 阴影 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 阴影 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 阴影 is written 陰影.
What is the difference between 阴影 and 影子?
影子 (yǐngzi) is the everyday word for the shadow your body casts on the ground. 阴影 sounds more formal and is the usual choice for shaded areas or for figurative shadows like fear, trauma or a looming threat.
How do you say something casts a shadow over a situation?
A common pattern is 给…蒙上阴影 (gěi… méng shàng yīnyǐng), meaning to cast a shadow over something. For example, 这件事给比赛蒙上了阴影。(Zhè jiàn shì gěi bǐsài méng shàng le yīnyǐng.) This incident cast a shadow over the competition.