(míng bái) - to understand, clear, obvious in Mandarin
míngbáiTraditional: 明白
HSK 2
#164 of 5,000 Core 1000
Translation
to understand, clear, obvious
Word origin
明白 (míngbai) 'to understand, clear' joins 明 'bright' with 白 'white, plain'. 明 is an ideograph combining 日 'sun' and 月 'moon', the two great lights; 白 is a pictograph of a thumbnail or a flame, hence 'bright, plain'. Something fully lit is something understood.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 明 (bright: 日 sun + 月 moon) + 白 (plain, clear)
Stroke order
明
白
Examples
。
I understand now.
？
Do you understand?
。
Explained very clearly.
。
I understand your meaning now.
。
The child doesn't yet understand this reasoning.
明白 (míng bái) means to understand, clear, obvious. It is used as a verb in everyday Mandarin speech.
Used in
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 4.