明白

Chinese

		clear; bright; to understand clear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynasty	white; empty; blank white; empty; blank; bright; clear; plain; pure; gratuitous
simp. and trad. (明白)		明	白
Literally: “clear and clean”.

Etymology

Attested in Zhuangzi ("clear and clean"), Chu Ci ("bright and clean"), Mozi ("to be evident, clear"), Tao Te Ching ("to know, to understand").

Pronunciation

Rime
Character	明	白
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	庚 (111)	陌 (113)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	II
Fanqie	武兵切	傍陌切
Baxter	mjaeng	baek
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mˠiæŋ/	/bˠæk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/mᵚiaŋ/	/bᵚak̚/
Shao Rongfen	/miaŋ/	/bak̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/miajŋ/	/baɨjk̚/
Li Rong	/miɐŋ/	/bɐk̚/
Wang Li	/mĭɐŋ/	/bɐk̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mi̯ɐŋ/	/bʱɐk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	míng	bó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ming4	bak6

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	明	白
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	míng	bái
Middle Chinese	‹ mjæng ›	‹ bæk ›
Old Chinese	/*mraŋ/	/*bˁrak/
English	bright	white
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	明	白
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	9188	207
Phonetic component	明	白
Rime group	陽	鐸
Rime subdivision	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	明	白
Old Chinese	/*mraŋ/	/*braːɡ/

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): míngbai, míngbái

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ˙ㄅㄞ, ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄞˊ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): минбый (minbɨy, I-II)

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁴ baak⁶

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): mìn-pha̍k
• Eastern Min (BUC): mìng-bĕk
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): bêng-pe̍k / bêng-pia̍k / bêng-pe̍h / mêng-pe̍k

  (Teochew, Peng'im): mêng⁵ bêh⁸

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶min-baq

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland, variant in Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: míngbai
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ˙ㄅㄞ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: míngbåi
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-pai⁵
    • Yale: míng-bai
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ming.bai
    • Palladius: минбай (minbaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ b̥aɪ̯³/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: míngbái
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄞˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: míngbái
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-pai²
    • Yale: míng-bái
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingbair
    • Palladius: минбай (minbaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: минбый (minbɨy, I-II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ²⁴ pei⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ming⁴ baak⁶
    • Yale: mìhng baahk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁴ baak⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: ming⁴ bag⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ²¹ paːk̚²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mìn-pha̍k
    • Hakka Romanization System: min^ˇ pag
    • Hagfa Pinyim: min² pag⁶
    • Sinological IPA: /min¹¹ pʰak̚⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: mìng-bĕk
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ⁵³⁻³³ ^(p-)mɛiʔ⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bêng-pe̍k
    • Tâi-lô: bîng-pi̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bengpek
    • IPA (Taipei): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ piɪk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /biɪŋ²³⁻³³ piɪk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Singapore): /beŋ²⁴⁻²¹ pek̚⁴³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /biɪŋ¹³⁻²² piɪk̚¹²¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² piɪk̚⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bêng-pia̍k
    • Tâi-lô: bîng-pia̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bengpiak
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² piak̚²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bêng-pe̍h
    • Tâi-lô: bîng-pe̍h
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bengpeh
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /biɪŋ²³⁻³³ peʔ⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ peʔ⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mêng-pe̍k
    • Tâi-lô: mîng-pi̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mengpek
    • IPA (Singapore): /meŋ²⁴⁻²¹ pek̚⁴³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: mêng⁵ bêh⁸
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: mêng pe̍h
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /meŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ peʔ⁴/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶min-baq
    • MiniDict: min^去 bah
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³min-baq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /min²² baʔ⁴⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: mjaeng baek

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*mraŋ  bˤrak/

  (Zhengzhang): /*mraŋ  braːɡ/

Verb

明白

1. to understand; to know

   等你長大就明白了。 [MSC, trad.]
   等你长大就明白了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Děng nǐ zhǎngdà jiù míngbai le. [Pinyin]

   You'll understand when you grow up.

   我講的話你明白了嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
   我讲的话你明白了吗？ [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ jiǎng de huà nǐ míngbai le ma? [Pinyin]

   Do you understand what I said?

   你在想什麼，我心裡全明白。 [MSC, trad.]
   你在想什么，我心里全明白。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ zài xiǎng shénme, wǒ xīnli quán míngbai. [Pinyin]

   I know for sure what you are thinking.

Usage notes

When used as a verb, 明白 (míngbai) conveys an understanding of a meaning or a situation. To express an ability to understand a language, see 會說／会说 (huìshuō, “to be able to speak”), 聽懂／听懂 (tīngdǒng, “to understand by listening”) or 看懂 (kàndǒng, “to understand when reading”).

Synonyms

edit

• nan-hbl+nan-tws:知影
• 了解 (liǎojiě)
• 佔有 / 占有 (zhànyǒu)
• 分曉 / 分晓 (fēnxiǎo)
• 參悟 / 参悟 (cānwù)
• 悟 (wù) (literary, or in compounds)
• 懂 (dǒng)
• 懂得 (dǒngde)
• 打生 (Wenzhounese)
• 把握 (bǎwò)
• 掌握 (zhǎngwò)
• 明 (ming⁴) (Cantonese)
• 明瞭 / 明了 (míngliǎo)
• 曉得 / 晓得 (xiǎode)
• 會悟 / 会悟 (huìwù) (literary)
• 洞悉 (dòngxī)
• 清亮 (mainland China)
• 清楚
• 熟似 (Hokkien)
• 熟悉 (shúxī)
• 熟稔 (shúrěn) (literary)
• 熟識 / 熟识 (shúshí)
• 理會 / 理会 (lǐhuì)
• 理解 (lǐjiě)
• 瞭悟 / 了悟 (liǎowù) (literary)
• 知悉 (zhīxī) (literary)
• 知曉 / 知晓 (zhīxiǎo)
• 知識 / 知识 (zhīshí) (literary)
• 知道 (zhīdào)
• 覺 / 觉
• 覺悟 / 觉悟 (juéwù)
• 覺醒 / 觉醒 (juéxǐng)
• 認識 / 认识
• 諳曉 / 谙晓 (ānxiǎo) (literary)
• 諳達 / 谙达 (āndá) (literary)
• 貫通 / 贯通 (guàntōng)
• 通曉 / 通晓 (tōngxiǎo)
• 通解 (tōngjiě) (literary)
• 通達 / 通达 (tōngdá)
• 達 / 达 (literary, or in compounds)
• 醒悟 (xǐngwù)
• 開悟 / 开悟 (kāiwù) (literary)
• 領悟 / 领悟 (lǐngwù)
• 領會 / 领会 (lǐnghuì)
• 領略 / 领略 (lǐnglüè)

Adjective

明白

1. clear; obvious; evident
2. open; explicit; frank
3. sensible; reasonable

Synonyms

• (clear):

edit

• 分明 (fēnmíng)
• 分曉 / 分晓 (fēnxiǎo)
• 明瞭 / 明了 (míngliǎo)
• 明確 / 明确 (míngquè)
• 清晰 (qīngxī)
• 清朗 (qīnglǎng)
• 清楚
• 疏朗 (shūlǎng) (literary)
• 鮮明 / 鲜明 (xiānmíng)

• (explicit):

edit

• 分明 (fēnmíng)
• 分曉 / 分晓 (fēnxiǎo)
• 明瞭 / 明了 (míngliǎo)
• 明確 / 明确 (míngquè)
• 清晰 (qīngxī)
• 清朗 (qīnglǎng)
• 清楚
• 疏朗 (shūlǎng) (literary)
• 鮮明 / 鲜明 (xiānmíng)

• (sensible): 通情達理／通情达理 (tōngqíngdálǐ)

See also

• (not to be confused with) 明日 (míngrì)

Derived terms

• 明白人 (míngbairén)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (明白):

• → Japanese: 明白(めいはく) (meihaku)
• → Korean: 명백(明白) (myeongbaek)
• → Vietnamese: minh bạch (明白)

• → White Hmong: meejpem

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
明	白
めい Grade: 2	はく Grade: 1
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) めーはく [mèéhákú] (Heiban – [0])^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key): [me̞ːha̠kɯ̟]

Adjective

明(めい)白(はく) • (meihaku) -na (adnominal 明(めい)白(はく)な (meihaku na), adverbial 明(めい)白(はく)に (meihaku ni))

1. clear, obvious, plain, undeniable

   明白(めいはく)な安(あん)保(ぽ)理(り)決(けつ)議(ぎ)違(い)反(はん)だ。

   Meihaku na anporiketsugīhan da.

   It is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions.

Inflection

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	明白だろ	めいはくだろ	meihaku daro
Continuative (連用形)	明白で	めいはくで	meihaku de
Terminal (終止形)	明白だ	めいはくだ	meihaku da
Attributive (連体形)	明白な	めいはくな	meihaku na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	明白なら	めいはくなら	meihaku nara
Imperative (命令形)	明白であれ	めいはくであれ	meihaku de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	明白ではない 明白じゃない	めいはくではない めいはくじゃない	meihaku de wa nai meihaku ja nai
Informal past	明白だった	めいはくだった	meihaku datta
Informal negative past	明白ではなかった 明白じゃなかった	めいはくではなかった めいはくじゃなかった	meihaku de wa nakatta meihaku ja nakatta
Formal	明白です	めいはくです	meihaku desu
Formal negative	明白ではありません 明白じゃありません	めいはくではありません めいはくじゃありません	meihaku de wa arimasen meihaku ja arimasen
Formal past	明白でした	めいはくでした	meihaku deshita
Formal negative past	明白ではありませんでした 明白じゃありませんでした	めいはくではありませんでした めいはくじゃありませんでした	meihaku de wa arimasen deshita meihaku ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	明白で	めいはくで	meihaku de
Conditional	明白なら（ば）	めいはくなら（ば）	meihaku nara (ba)
Provisional	明白だったら	めいはくだったら	meihaku dattara
Volitional	明白だろう	めいはくだろう	meihaku darō
Adverbial	明白に	めいはくに	meihaku ni
Degree	明白さ	めいはくさ	meihakusa

Inflection of 明白

Noun

明(めい)白(はく) • (meihaku) 

1. obviousness, undeniability

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
明	白
あからさま
Grade: 2	Grade: 1
jukujikun

For pronunciation and definitions of 明白 – see the following entry.

【あからさま】 [adjective] open; candid Alternative spelling 明白地

(This term, 明白, is an alternative spelling (literary) of the above term.)

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
• Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 [Meikyō Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN

1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
2. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
3. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
明	白

Root

明白 • (myeongbaek) (hangeul 명백)

1. hanja form^? of 명백 (“explicit”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
明	白

Adjective

明白

1. chữ Hán form of minh bạch.