暗示
ànshì · HSK 4
hint
🤫 暗示 = dark/hidden + show = a hidden showing, i.e. a hint
暗 means dark or hidden; 示 means to show or indicate. Together: showing something in a hidden way — dropping a hint or suggesting indirectly rather than stating outright.
暗 — sun 日 + sound 音 (phonetic)
暗 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 日 (sun) component carries the meaning, suggesting absence of sunlight, while 音 (yīn, sound) provides the phonetic clue for the reading àn. Originally meaning 'dark' or 'dim,' it later extended to figurative senses like 'hidden' or 'secret.'
示 — altar 示 (二 + 小); originally 丅 with three strokes
示 is a pictograph of an ancient altar or sacrificial stand, with the top line representing heaven and the strokes below depicting offerings or hanging banners. It originally meant 'to show' something to the spirits, and by extension came to mean 'to show, display, or indicate' in general. As a radical, it appears in many characters related to ritual, worship, and divine matters.