silhouette; dark shadow
Refers to a dark, shadowy figure or shape, often with a slightly literary or dramatic feel.
At dusk, a dark silhouette appeared on the distant hill.
A human silhouette was reflected outside the window.
Standard kanji spelling for 'silhouette' or 'dark shadow'.
Rare variant using 翳 (shadow, shade).
Compound of 黒 (black) and 影 (shadow, silhouette). The reading こくえい uses the on'yomi of both characters.