发现 meaning in English
to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect
Meaning of 发现
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to notice; to become aware of
- to discover; to find; to detect
- a discovery
How to use 发现
发现 is used for noticing something you did not know before, whether small or big, and it can also be a noun meaning a discovery. It often takes a whole clause as its object. Example: 我发现他不在家。(Wǒ fāxiàn tā bú zài jiā.) I found that he was not at home.
发 (fā) means to send out or emit, and 现 (xiàn) means to appear or show, as in 现在 (xiànzài). When something is sent out into the open and appears before your eyes, you discover it: 发现 (fāxiàn).
Common mistake: Learners often use 发现 for finding something they were looking for, like lost keys, but that is usually 找到 (zhǎodào). 发现 stresses becoming aware of something unexpected. Also do not confuse it with 出现 (chūxiàn), which means something appears on its own, not that you noticed it.
发现 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
发 fā · to send out · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
现 xiàn · to appear · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 发现.
| 现在 | xiànzài | now; at present; currently |
| 出现 | chūxiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey); (fig.) to proceed from (a particular standpoint or ba |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 实现 | shíxiàn | to achieve; to implement; to realize; to bring about |
| 发生 | fāshēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to arise (e.g. 發生問題|发生问题[fa1 sheng1 wen4 ti2] "a probl |
| 表现 | biǎoxiàn | to show; to show off |
| 现场 | xiànchǎng | the scene (of a crime, accident etc); (on) the spot |
| 现实 | xiànshí | reality; actuality; real; actual |
| 发展 | fāzhǎn | development; growth |
| 发出 | fāchū | to issue (an order, decree etc); to send out; to dispatch; to produce (a sound); to let ou |
| 现金 | xiànjīn | cash |
Questions about 发现
What does 发现 mean?
发现 (fāxiàn) means "to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect" and is used as a verb and noun.
How do you write 发现?
发现 is made of 2 characters: 发 (5 strokes), 现 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 发现 an HSK word?
Yes. 发现 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 发现 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 发现 is written 發現.
What is the difference between 发现 and 发明?
发现 (fāxiàn) means discovering something that already exists, like a new planet. 发明 (fāmíng) means inventing something new, like a machine.
Can 发现 be used as a noun?
Yes. For example, 这是一个重要的发现 (Zhè shì yí gè zhòngyào de fāxiàn) means "This is an important discovery." It is common in news and science contexts.