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明

Mandarin · pinyin míng#

bright
opposite: dark 暗 àn
(of meaning) clear
to understand
next
public or open
wise
generic term for a sacrifice to the gods

Mandarin · pinyin Míng#

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
surname Ming
Ming (c. 2000 BC), fourth of the legendary Flame Emperors, 炎帝 Yán dì descended from Shennong 神農 Shén nóng Farmer God

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Characters in this entry

明: míng · bright, light, brilliant; clear

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2 · ming2

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1character link29same-tone records3source references

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 15 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ming4

Cantonese word readings for 明. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

bright; light; brilliant
clear; limpid (transparent; light-conducting; not obscured)
manifest; apparent (easily seen, perceived, or detected)
vision; sight (the ability to see)
(of vision) acute; sharp; keen
(figurative) intellect; knowledge; judgement; discernment; sensibility
(figurative) intelligent; sensible; informed; wise
to understand; to know
evidently
(literary) to make known
next; following
(literary) tomorrow
(～朝) Ming dynasty
a surname, listed as #111 on the Baijiaxing
(～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 明 (MC mjaeng)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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