Ànyù (暗喻) is a literary device meaning 'implicit metaphor' — a figure of speech where a comparison is made without using explicit comparative words like 'like' or 'as' (which would signal a simile). Instead, it directly equates two unlike things, relying on context and shared qualities for meaning. The character 暗 (àn) means 'dark', 'hidden', or 'implicit', suggesting something concealed or unstated; 喻 (yù) means 'to compare' or 'to illustrate'. Together, they convey the idea of a metaphor that operates subtly, without overt markers.

This term is commonly used in Chinese literary analysis, poetry, and rhetoric classes. It appears frequently in classical and modern texts — for instance, calling someone 'a lone crane in the autumn sky' to imply noble solitude, without saying 'like a crane'. Unlike the more direct míngyù (明喻, explicit metaphor/simile), ànyù requires readers to infer the comparison, making it more evocative and often more poetic.