伏 fú — conceal (ambush); prostrate; submit
猫伏在地上，准备捉老鼠。Māo fú zài dì shàng, zhǔn bèi zhuō lǎo shǔ.The cat crouched on the ground, ready to catch the mouse.
Common words: 起伏 (qǐ fú)、埋伏 (mái fú)、此起彼伏 (cǐ qǐ bǐ fú)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "conceal"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "conceal", including 伏 (fú), 昧 (mèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "conceal" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 伏 (fú), 昧 (mèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span fú, mèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 伏 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 伏 fúconceal (ambush); prostrate; submitUseful words: 起伏, 埋伏
- 昧 mèiconceal; darkUseful words: 暧昧, 愚昧
Common words for these 2 "conceal" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 伏 (fú) — so "conceal" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
起伏qǐ fúto move up and down; to undulate; ups and downs埋伏mái fúto ambush; to lie in wait for; to lie low; ambush此起彼伏cǐ qǐ bǐ fúup here, down there (idiom); to rise and fall in succession; no sooner one subsides, the next arises; repeating continuously暧昧ài mèivague; ambiguous; equivocal; dubious愚昧yú mèiignorant; uneducated; ignorance冒昧mào mèibold; presumptuous; to take the liberty of
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "conceal".
昧 mèi — conceal; dark
做人要讲良心，不能昧着良心说话。Zuò rén yào jiǎng liáng xīn, bù néng mèi zhe liáng xīn shuō huà.One should have a conscience and not speak against it.
Common words: 暧昧 (ài mèi)、愚昧 (yú mèi)、冒昧 (mào mèi)
All 2 characters
Open 伏、昧 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.