冥 míng — dark, deep · English

冥

míng

dark, deep

At a glance · 冥

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从日从冖从六，会意日入于覆中而昏暗，本指幽暗。隶楷作「冥」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「冥」本指昏暗，引申为深奥、阴间。

Structure

会意字，从日从冖，日掩于覆中表幽暗。

At a glance

Pinyinmíng

Radical冖

Strokes10

UnicodeU+51A5

Character type会意

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English dark, deep Dark, obscure; the underworld; deep thought.

Français sombre, profond Sombre, obscur; l'au-delà; pensée profonde.

Español oscuro, profundo Oscuro, profundo; el más allá; pensamiento hondo.

العربية مظلم، عميق مظلم أو عميق أو العالم السفلي.

Русский тёмный, глубокий Тёмный, смутный; загробный мир; глубокая мысль.

Common words

冥míngdark
冥想míng xiǎngmeditate

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