显 meaning in English

xiǎn

to make visible; to reveal

HSK 5verbTraditional 顯9 strokes

Meaning of 显

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

xiǎn

to make visible
to reveal
prominent
conspicuous
(prefix) phanero-

How to use 显

显 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It mostly appears in compounds like 明显 (míngxiǎn), 显示 (xiǎnshì) and 显得 (xiǎnde). Example: 你今天显得很累。 (Nǐ jīntiān xiǎnde hěn lèi.) You look very tired today.

The top of 显 (xiǎn) is 日 (rì), the sun. Picture the sun shining down so that everything below it becomes visible and easy to see.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 显然 (xiǎnrán) and 明显 (míngxiǎn). 显然 is usually an adverb for the whole sentence (显然他错了, obviously he is wrong), while 明显 often describes something directly (很明显的变化, a very clear change).

显 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

很hěn明míng显xiǎn，汤tāng姆mǔ已yǐ经jīng做zuò完wán了le。

Tom has apparently done that already.

你nǐ知zhī道dào显xiǎn微wēi镜jìng是shì谁shuí发fā明míng的de吗ma？

Do you know who invented the microscope?

很hěn明míng显xiǎn地dì有yǒu问wèn题tí。

There is clearly a problem.

事shì情qíng如rú此cǐ明míng显xiǎn所suǒ以yǐ我wǒ们men不bù需xū要yào证zhèng明míng。

It's so obvious we don't need proof.

很hěn明míng显xiǎn地dì你nǐ错cuò了le。

It's clear that you're wrong.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

显 xiǎn · to make visible · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 显.

显然	xiǎnrán	clearly; evidently; obviously
明显	míngxiǎn	clear; distinct
显示	xiǎnshì	to show; to illustrate
显得	xiǎnde	to seem; to look
显著	xiǎnzhù	outstanding; notable
显出	xiǎnchū	to express; to exhibit
显而易见	xiǎn'éryìjiàn	clearly and easy to see (idiom); obviously; clearly
显眼	xiǎnyǎn	conspicuous; eye-catching
显现	xiǎnxiàn	appearance; to appear
显示器	xiǎnshìqì	display device; monitor
显赫	xiǎnhè	illustrious; celebrated
凸显	tūxiǎn	to stand out clearly; to make prominent

Questions about 显

What does 显 mean?

显 (xiǎn) means "to make visible; to reveal" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 显?

显 is made of 1 character: 显 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.

Is 显 an HSK word?

Yes. 显 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 显 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 显 is written 顯.

What is the difference between 显得 and 看起来?

Both mean to seem or to look. 看起来 (kàn qǐlái) is more casual and common in speech. 显得 (xiǎnde) is a bit more formal and often suggests that something makes a quality stand out, as in 这件衣服显得你很年轻 (this outfit makes you look young).

How is 显 used with screens and technology?

显 appears in many tech words about showing images. 显示器 (xiǎnshìqì) means a monitor or display, and 显卡 (xiǎnkǎ) means a graphics card.