Meaning of 明白
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- clear; obvious; unequivocal
- sensible; reasonable
- to understand; to realize
How to use 明白
As a verb, 明白 means to understand or get something, and 明白了 is a very common reply meaning "got it." As an adjective it means clear or obvious, as in 说得很明白 (said very clearly). Example: 我明白你的意思。 (Wǒ míngbai nǐ de yìsi.) I understand what you mean.
明 (míng) means bright and 白 (bái) means white, so 明白 is when something becomes bright and plain as white daylight. Once an idea is that clear, you understand it.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable as bái with a full second tone, but in everyday speech 白 here is usually neutral tone: míngbai. Also, 明白 means grasping meaning or a situation, so do not use it for understanding a language you hear. For that, use 听懂 (tīngdǒng), as in 我听不懂 (Wǒ tīng bu dǒng).
明白 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.
明 míng · bright · 8 strokes
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白 bái · white · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 明白.
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day |
| 明年 | míngnián | next year |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate |
| 明星 | míngxīng | star; celebrity |
| 白色 | báisè | white; fig. reactionary |
| 证明 | zhèngmíng | proof; certificate |
| 明显 | míngxiǎn | clear; distinct |
| 发明 | fāmíng | to invent; an invention |
| 表明 | biǎomíng | to make clear; to make known |
| 文明 | wénmíng | civilized; civilization |
| 明确 | míngquè | clear-cut; definite; explicit; to clarify; to specify; to make definite |
Questions about 明白
What does 明白 mean?
明白 (míngbai) means "clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 明白?
明白 is made of 2 characters: 明 (8 strokes), 白 (5 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 明白 an HSK word?
Yes. 明白 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 明白 and 懂?
Both can mean to understand and often overlap. 懂 (dǒng) is more about knowing or comprehending something, like a subject or language, while 明白 stresses that something has become clear to you, like a reason or intention. For a quick "I see," 明白了 and 懂了 both work.
How do I say "I don't understand" with 明白?
Say 我不明白 (Wǒ bù míngbai) for "I don't understand." To say you still don't get it after hearing an explanation, use 我没明白 (Wǒ méi míngbai). You can also ask 你明白吗? (Nǐ míngbai ma?) to check if someone understands.