掩Tone 3

yǎn ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

掩 · yǎn

To cover;

to conceal;

to shut;

to close;

to ambush;

to hide.

To coverto concealto shut

Usage highlights

To cover upTo conceal the truthTo buryTo shieldTo hide one's faceTo close the door

Synonyms

盖— to cover; to lid
藏— to hide; to conceal
蔽— to cover; to shield

Antonyms

露— to expose; to reveal
开— to open

Usage & contexts

Examples

She covered her face with her hands (掩面).
He tried to conceal the truth (掩盖真相).
Please close the door (掩门).
The soldiers set up an ambush (掩伏).

Collocations

To cover up(掩盖)
To conceal the truth(掩蔽真相)
To bury(掩埋)
To shield(掩护)
To hide one's face(掩面)
To close the door(掩门)

Idioms

To steal a bell while covering one's ears(掩耳盗铃)
To cover the nose when passing a stinky place(掩鼻而过)
To hide one's flaws and advertise one's virtues(掩瑕扬瑜)
Water to cover the tracks(掩水无痕)

Cultural background

The character 掩 is often used in military contexts to describe tactics of concealment and ambush.
In classical literature, it appears in idioms that critique self-deception, such as '掩耳盗铃'.
The hand radical (扌) emphasizes the action of covering or closing, typically done with the hands.

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