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Strokes of genius 明
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“sun” plus “moon” equals “brightness.” That’s the most typical and probably the very first example you have come across when learning associative characters. Thus, the basic meaning of “明” míng is “bright, brilliant,” as in the literal translation of “清明” Qīngmíng (Pure Brightness), or Tomb Sweeping Day.
As well as “明星” míngxīng for “superstar,” “明” míng can often be used in an abstract way, “bright” in the meaning of “open or decent” as opposed to “hidden or secretly.”
For instance:
明信片 míngxìnpiàn postcard (literally open letter slice)
有话明说! Yǒu huà míng shuō! Please speak your mind plainly.
明人不做暗事。 Míng rén bú zuò àn shì. An honest man will never do anything underhanded.
Developed from “bright,” “sharp-eyed, clear-sighted” is a further meaning of “明” míng as in “聪明” cōngmíng (clever) and “英明” yīngmíng (wise), while another meaning is “clear or distinct” as in the following words:
明白 míngbai understand, to be clear about
明显 míngxiǎn obvious, evident
不明飞行物 bùmíng fēixíngwù UFO
Moreover, “明明” míngmíng is an emotional adverb for “obviously, doubtlessly.”
For example:
你明明知道答案，为什么还要问？ Nǐ míngmíng zhīdào dá’àn, wèishénme hái yào wèn? Obviously, you know the answer. Why do you still need to ask?
Additionally, there is also these important uses:
明天/明年 míngtiān / míngnián tomorrow / next year
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