冥 (míng): dark, deep

冥 (míng) is a Chinese character meaning “dark.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 冖 (structural), 日 (structural) and 六 (structural). It ranks #2408 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 冥 the sun 日, covered 冖, with 六 providing the pronunciation. Its radical form 冖 (cover) appears in many related characters such as 写 (xiě, to write), 农 (nóng, (bound form) agriculture), 冠 (guàn, to be first).

Spoken pronunciation

Radical: 冖 cover10 strokesFrequency #2408冖 structural 日 structural 六 structural

Definitions

dark
deep

Etymology & Origin

冥

ideographicThe sun 日, covered 冖, with 六 providing the pronunciation

Decomposition: ⿳冖日六 (layout: top-middle-bottom)

Components:冖structural 日structural 六structural

Stroke Order

Practice writing 冥 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
冥王星proper-noun	míng wáng xīng	Pluto (dwarf planet)
冥想verb	míng xiǎng	to meditate
冥府noun	míng fǔ	underworld
冥顽adjective	míng wán	stupidly obstinate
苦思冥想phrase	kǔ sī míng xiǎng	(idiom) to think deeply
冥顽不灵phrase	míng wán bù líng	(idiom) pigheaded
冥思苦想phrase	míng sī kǔ xiǎng	see 苦思冥想
冥思苦索phrase	míng sī kǔ suǒ	see 苦思冥想
冥道	míng dào	path to the underworld (in Daoist or folk beliefs, referring to the journey of spirits after death)
冥冥之中	míng míng zhī zhōng	in the unseen world of spirits
冥合	míng hé	to agree implicitly
冥界noun	míng jiè	ghost world
冥王noun	míng wáng	the king of hell
冥钱	míng qián	joss paper made to resemble paper money
冥福	míng fú	afterlife happiness

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

冥 appears in 26 compound words: 77 as the first character, 15 as the last, and 8 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Idioms & Chengyu (6)

风雨晦冥fēng yǔ huì míng

conditions of extreme adversity (idiom)

phrase

苦思冥想kǔsīmíngxiǎng

to think long and hard

phrase

冥冥之中míng míng zhī zhōng

in the unseen world of spirits; mysteriously and inexorably

phrase

冥思苦索míngsīkǔsuǒ

to think long and hard; to rack one's brains; to cudgel one's brains

phrase

冥思苦想míngsīkǔxiǎng

synonym of 冥思苦索 (míngsīkǔsuǒ, “to think long and hard”)

phrase

冥顽不灵míngwánbùlíng

obstinate and ignorant; stubborn and benighted

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

写好冥字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。

xiě hǎo míng zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhèng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .

To write the character "冥" correctly, you need to master the correct stroke order.

Ign中国Mar 2026

《死亡搁浅2:冥滩之上》“生日快乐”动捕花絮

sǐ wáng gē qiǎn 2 : míng tān zhī shàng shēng rì kuài lè dòng bǔ huā xù

"Happy Birthday" Motion Capture Behind-the-Scenes Footage from *Death Stranding 2: On the Shores of the Underworld*

Nownews今日新聞Mar 2026

雪莉32岁冥诞!生前遭网暴精神崩溃 IU介绍她看心理...

xuě lì 3 2 suì míng dàn ! shēng qián zāo wǎng bào jīng shén bēng kuì I U jiè shào tā kàn xīn lǐ . . .

It’s Shelly’s 32nd birthday! She suffered a mental breakdown due to online bullying before her death; IU referred her to a therapist...

Ign中国Mar 2026

《死亡搁浅2:冥滩之上》角色预告

sǐ wáng gē qiǎn 2 : míng tān zhī shàng jiǎo sè yù gào

"Death Stranding 2: On the Shores of the Underworld" Character Trailer

Ign中国Mar 2026

PC版《死亡搁浅2:冥滩之上》发售预告

P C bǎn sǐ wáng gē qiǎn 2 : míng tān zhī shàng fā shòu yù gào

PC Version of "Death Stranding 2: On the Shores of the Underworld" Launch Trailer

三立新聞網Feb 2026

宁夏夜市地上掉红包民众示警:恐是冥婚

nìng xià yè shì dì shàng diào hóng bāo mín zhòng shì jǐng : kǒng shì míng hūn

Red envelopes found on the ground at a night market in Ningxia; locals warn: it may be related to a ghost marriage

Character Family

冖 Radical Family — Characters sharing the cover radical

军jūn 写xiě 农nóng 冠guàn 冤yuān 冢zhǒng 冗rǒng

Related Characters

写xiě 农nóng 冠guàn 军jūn 冗rǒng 冤yuān 冢zhǒng

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 冥 (míng) mean in Chinese?

冥 (míng) primarily means "dark." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #2408 in character frequency.

What's the difference between 冥 and 灯?

冥 (míng) and 灯 (dēng) are often confused. antonym. The key distinguishing feature: 冥 (dark) vs 灯 (light).

How many strokes does 冥 have?

冥 is written with 10 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 冥?

The radical associated with 冥 is 冖 (cover). This radical appears in many characters related to cover.

What are the components of 冥?

冥 is composed of: 冖 (structural), 日 (structural), 六 (structural). Its IDS decomposition is ⿳冖日六 with a top-middle-bottom layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 冥?

Common words with 冥 include: 冥王星 (míng wáng xīng, "Pluto (dwarf planet)"); 冥想 (míng xiǎng, "to meditate"); 冥府 (míng fǔ, "underworld"); 冥顽 (míng wán, "stupidly obstinate"); 苦思冥想 (kǔ sī míng xiǎng, "(idiom) to think deeply"). There are over 26 compound words containing this character.

Is 冥 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

No. The simplified form is 冥 and the traditional form is 㝠.

Practice writing 冥 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

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