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黯然失色

Mandarin · pinyin àn rán shī sè

to lose one's splendor
to lose luster
to be eclipsed
to be overshadowed

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Characters in this entry

黯: àn · dark, black; sullen, dreary
然: rán · yes, certainly; pledge, promise
失: shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
色: sè · color, tint, hue, shade; form, body; beauty, desire for beauty; Kangxi radical 139

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2–1–4 · an4 ran2 shi1 se4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to lose lustre in comparison; to be outshone; to be eclipsed; to be overshadowed

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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