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Strokes of genius-名
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As an associative character, “名” míng (name) consists of the “夕”xī (sunset, evening) on top and the “口” kǒu (mouth) at the bottom. What’s the logic behind this combination? You might call out a name to confirm who it was, if you couldn’t see a person’s face clearly at dusk or in the dark.
First of all, here are a few nouns containing “名” míng as “name”?
人名、书名 rénmíng, shūmíng name of a person, title of a book
名词、名片 míngcí, míngpiàn noun, business card
Secondly, “名”míng also means “famous, well-known” as in the adjective “有名”yǒumíng. For instance:
名医 míngyī famous doctors
名人名言 míngrénmíngyán famous quotes
名胜古迹 míngshènggǔjì scenic spots and historical sites
Thirdly, “名”míng can also be used as a verb in the written language, meaning “describe, express.” In that case, “莫名其妙” mòmíngqímiào is a most common idiom, similar to “baffling; to be unable to make heads or tails of something”:
他新染的绿头发简直莫名其妙 Tā xīn rǎn de lǜ tóufa jiǎnzhí mòmíngqímiào. His newly dyed green hair is simply baffling.
你到底想说什么？！我越听越莫名其妙……
Nǐ dàodǐ xiǎng shuō shénme? ! Wǒ yuè tīng yuè mòmíngqímiào…
What on earth do you want to say?! The more I listen, the more perplexed I feel.
Last but not least, “名”míng is a measure word for people as well, mainly with job occupations such as:
两名律师 liǎng míng lǜshī two lawyers
三名运动员 sān míng yùndòngyuán three athletes
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