opaque

Compared meaning: hard to understand (adjective).

比较义项：难以理解，晦涩难懂（形容词）。

• dark

  Literary and old-fashioned; used for sayings, hints, or meanings that are deliberately veiled or mysterious, in a poetic or archaic register.

  该词具有文学色彩，略显古旧；用于说法、暗示或含义被有意隐藏、显得神秘的场合，语气偏诗意或古雅。

  The elder's words were dark and full of riddles that took years to understand.

  长者的话语很 dark，充满谜语，让人要花好几年才能明白。

• obscure

  Neutral, common register; emphasizes that something is unclear or not well explained, often due to lack of detail or fame, rather than deliberate difficulty.

  语气中性，日常常用；强调某事含糊不清或说明不充分，通常是因为细节不足或不为人知，而不是故意造成的理解困难。

  His explanation of the tax rule was so obscure that nobody in the room understood it.

  他对税务规定的解释太 obscure 了，房间里没有人听懂。

• opaque 本词

  Often used critically about language, writing, policies, or systems that seem deliberately unclear or hard to see through, sometimes implying hidden intent.

  常用于批评性语境，指语言、文字、政策或制度显得故意含糊不清、难以看透，有时暗示背后另有隐情。

  The company's pricing policy is so opaque that customers never know what they are paying for.

  这家公司的定价政策太 opaque 了，顾客根本不知道自己在为什么付钱。

• incomprehensible

  Strongest of the four; means totally impossible to understand, often used for speech, writing, or explanations that make absolutely no sense.

  语气最强，表示完全无法理解，常用于让人完全摸不着头脑的言语、文字或解释。

  His handwriting was so messy that it looked completely incomprehensible to his teacher.

  他的字迹太乱了，在老师看来完全 incomprehensible。

Dark, obscure, opaque, and incomprehensible all mean hard to understand. Dark is literary, for deliberately mysterious meanings. Obscure is neutral, unclear or poorly explained. Opaque describes deliberately unclear language or systems. Incomprehensible is strongest, impossible to understand. Their other, literal senses are not compared here.

这四个词都可以表示“难以理解”，但语气和用法不同：dark 偏文学化、语气古雅，常指含义故意隐晦或神秘；obscure 语气中性，强调含糊不清或说明不充分；opaque 常用于批评语言、政策或制度显得故意让人看不透；incomprehensible 语气最强，指完全无法理解。这里不比较 dark 的“黑暗的”本义，也不比较 obscure 的“不出名的、偏远的”义项，以及 opaque 的“不透明的”本义。