oi2曖暧

Jyutpingoi2

Yaleói

Uncommon

Definition

Dim daylight, or metaphorically clandestine and ambiguous.

(of daylight) dim; obscure
figurativeclandestine; ambiguous; shady

colloquialdescriptionsemotion

How it's used

Primarily used in the compound 曖昧 to describe situations or relationships that are unclear, flirtatious, or lacking transparency. While the character itself can refer to dim lighting, this usage is quite literary and rarely encountered in daily speech outside of this specific compound. It carries a sense of subtle tension or something being kept intentionally vague.

Examples

keoi5佢dei6哋loeng5兩go3個gwaan1關hai6係hou2好oi2曖mui6昧aa4呀。

The relationship between those two is very ambiguous.

tin1天sik1色oi2曖mui6昧，hou2好ci5似zau6就faai3快lok6落jyu5雨gam3咁。

The daylight is dim, it looks like it's about to rain.

Common phrases

ambiguous relationship

taai3態dou6度oi2曖mui6昧

ambiguous attitude

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a general word for dark or gloomy, but it specifically implies a lack of clarity or a secretive nature rather than just low light levels.