明 (míng) means "tomorrow, bright" with 8 strokes, radical 日 (sun), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: tomorrow
Other meanings:
- bright
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
明 is a classic ideographic compound combining 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), the two brightest objects in the sky, to express the meaning 'bright.' Some oracle bone forms instead pair 月 with 囧 (a pictograph of a window), suggesting 'moonlight through a window,' and both variants circulated in early scripts. The 日 + 月 version eventually became standard.
Form evolution
Oracle bone and bronze forms show significant variation between the 囧+月 and 日+月 versions. Seal script preserves both but the 日+月 form dominates. Clerical script standardised 日 on the left and 月 on the right, and modern楷书 kept this arrangement as 明 with no further change.
How the meaning evolved
The original sense 'bright' or 'luminous' extended naturally to 'clear,' 'to understand,' and 'intelligent,' since what is bright is easily seen and grasped. It also took on the temporal sense of 'next' (the brightness of the next dawn), giving 明天 (tomorrow) and 明年 (next year). In modern Mandarin it spans all these meanings: 明白 (to understand), 聪明 (clever), 明亮 (bright).
Cultural note
The Ming dynasty (明朝, 1368-1644) chose this character for its name, evoking brightness and clarity after the Mongol Yuan period. The phrase 明察秋毫 (so sharp-eyed one can see the tip of an autumn hair) describes someone who notices everything. Learners should not confuse 明白 (to understand) with 知道 (to know); 明白 implies comprehension, while 知道 implies awareness of a fact.
Mnemonic
Sun and moon together — bright, tomorrow
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | míng |
| Meanings | tomorrow, bright |
| Stroke count | 8 strokes |
| Radical | 日 (#72: sun) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #45 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 明
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明 | míng | tomorrow, bright | |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | HSK 1 |
| 明白 | míngbai | clear | HSK 3 |
| 聪明 | cōngming | clever | HSK 3 |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | Explain | HSK 4 |
| 证明 | zhèngmíng | Prove | HSK 4 |
| 光明 | guāngmíng | light | HSK 5 |
| 明确 | míngquè | To make clear | HSK 5 |
| 明显 | míngxiǎn | obvious | HSK 5 |
| 表明 | biǎomíng | Indicate | HSK 5 |
| 发明 | fāmíng | Invention | HSK 5 |
| 明星 | míngxīng | Star | HSK 5 |
| 透明 | tòumíng | transparent | HSK 6 |
| 文明 | wénmíng | civilization | HSK 6 |
| 标明 | biāomíng | to mark, to indicate | |
| 阐明 | chǎnmíng | to clarify, to explain | |
| 分明 | fēnmíng | clear, distinct | HSK 7-9 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.