鲜明 meaning in English

xiānmíng

(of colors) bright; fresh and clear; clear-cut; distinct

HSK 4adjectiveTraditional 鮮明22 strokes

Meaning of 鲜明

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

xiānmíng

(of colors) bright; fresh and clear
clear-cut; distinct

How to use 鲜明

鲜明 describes colors that are vivid and also ideas, contrasts, or personalities that are distinct and clear-cut. It often appears in set phrases like 对比鲜明 (sharp contrast) and 鲜明的特点 (a distinct feature). Example: 这两种颜色对比很鲜明。(Zhè liǎng zhǒng yánsè duìbǐ hěn xiānmíng.) These two colors contrast sharply.

鲜 (xiān) means fresh, like 鱼 (fish) and 羊 (sheep), food that is best fresh. 明 (míng) puts 日 (sun) and 月 (moon) together for bright, so 鲜明 is something fresh and bright that stands out clearly.

Common mistake: Learners often read 鲜 with the third tone, xiǎn, as in 鲜为人知 (rarely known), but in 鲜明 it is first tone, xiān. Also do not use 鲜明 for simply understanding something; for that use 明白 (míngbai).

鲜明 in example sentences

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

广guǎng场chǎng被bèi鲜xiān明míng的de灯dēng火huǒ照zhào亮liàng。

The square was illuminated by bright lights.

中zhōng国guó之zhī治zhì与yǔ西xī方fāng之zhī乱luàn形xíng成chéng了le鲜xiān明míng的de对duì比bǐ。

There is a stark contrast between China's order and the chaos of the West.

新xīn的de旗qí袍páo又yòu修xiū长cháng又yòu紧jǐn身shēn，也yě有yǒu短duǎn裙qún摆bǎi，与yǔ传chuán统tǒng式shì样yàng构gòu成chéng了le鲜xiān明míng的de对duì比bǐ。

Slender and form-fitting with a high cut, the new qipao contrasted sharply with the traditional one.

Stroke order for each character

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

鲜 xiān · fresh · 14 strokes

明 míng · bright · 8 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 鲜明.

明白	míngbai	clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable
明天	míngtiān	tomorrow
明年	míngnián	next year
说明	shuōmíng	to explain; to illustrate
明星	míngxīng	star; celebrity
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
声明	shēngmíng	to state; to declare

Questions about 鲜明

What does 鲜明 mean?

鲜明 (xiānmíng) means "(of colors) bright; fresh and clear; clear-cut; distinct" and is used as a adjective.

How do you write 鲜明?

鲜明 is made of 2 characters: 鲜 (14 strokes), 明 (8 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.

Is 鲜明 an HSK word?

Yes. 鲜明 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 鲜明 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 鲜明 is written 鮮明.

What is the difference between 鲜明 and 明显?

明显 (míngxiǎn) means obvious or noticeable, often for changes or results, like 明显进步 (obvious progress). 鲜明 stresses that something is vivid and distinct, often for colors, features, or stances, like 立场鲜明 (a clear-cut position).

Can 鲜明 describe a person?

Yes, usually through their traits, as in 个性鲜明 (a distinct personality) or 形象鲜明 (a vivid image). It is less natural to say a person is 鲜明 directly.