明

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

明 (Kangxi radical 72, 日+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 日月 (AB), four-corner 6702₀, composition ⿰日月)

Derived characters

• 𢜠, 𣷠, 𦁠, 𨧹, 䳟, 𢜏, 焽, 琞, 㿢, 盟, 曌, 奛, 朚, 萌, 𰂚, 奣, 𡦀, 𣇵, 𥯋

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 491, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13805
• Dae Jaweon: page 852, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1491, character 8
• Unihan data for U+660E

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 明
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 日 (“sun”) + 月 (“moon”) – the sun just rising and the moon not yet set – dawn (天明 (tiānmíng)). Alternatively, it may be interpreted as two bright celestial bodies – bright. This form was already found in the oracle bone script and was prevalent throughout the eras.

Three other forms were found in the oracle bone script:

• 朙 (míng) < 囧 (“window”) + 月 – the moon shining through a window – moonlight. This form was also prevalent in the ancient scripts and was considered to be the standard form in Shuowen. See this form's entry for its historical forms.
• 眀 (míng) < 目 (“eye”) + 月 – bright eyes. This form was rarely attested, so it is still uncertain whether this form is actually equivalent to 明. It reappeared in the bamboo script of the Qin dynasty, but this was probably a corruption of 朙 (míng).
• 𤰾 < 田 + 月 – probably a corruption of the above forms.

Etymology

Of either Proto-Sino-Tibetan origin, compare

• Tibetan མདངས (mdangs, “facial color, appearance, brightness”) (Bodman, 1980), or
• Proto-Sino-Tibetan *brwaŋ (“loud; bright”) (STDET); making it cognate with Burmese ပြင်း (prang:, “acute; violent”), Burmese ပြောင် (praung, “to shine”).

Or from Austroasiatic, cognate with 亮 (OC *raŋs, “bright”) (Schuessler, 2007). For more see 亮 (OC *raŋs).

盟 (OC *mraŋ, *mraːŋs, “covenant”) is a derivative (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Definitions

明

1. bright; light; brilliant

   明月  ―  míngyuè  ―  splendid moon

   • 東方未明，顛倒衣裳。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     东方未明，颠倒衣裳。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Dōngfāng wèimíng, diāndǎo yīcháng.

     Before the east was bright,
     I was putting on my clothes upside down;

2. clear; limpid (transparent; light-conducting; not obscured)

   窗明几淨／窗明几净  ―  chuāngmíngjījìng  ―  a neat place (literally, "the window is clear, the desk is clean")

3. manifest; apparent (easily seen, perceived, or detected)

   明顯／明显  ―  míngxiǎn  ―  obvious

   明瞭／明了  ―  míngliǎo  ―  apparent; simple and clear

   明槍易躲，暗箭難防 [MSC, trad.]
   明枪易躲，暗箭难防 [MSC, simp.]

   míng qiāng yì duǒ, ànjiàn nán fáng

   It is easy to dodge an open attack, but difficult to defend against a concealed one.

4. vision; sight (the ability to see)

   失明  ―  shīmíng  ―  to be blind; to lose eyesight

   • 明足以察秋毫之末，而不見輿薪。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     明足以察秋毫之末，而不见舆薪。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Míng zúyǐ chá qiūháo zhī mò, ér bùjiàn yúxīn.

     y eyesight is sharp enough to examine the point of an autumn hair, but I do not see a cart-load of firewood.

5. (of vision) acute; sharp; keen

   耳聰目明／耳聪目明  ―  ěrcōngmùmíng  ―  sharp at hearing and vision

6. (figurative) intellect; knowledge; judgement; discernment; sensibility

   無明／无明  ―  wúmíng  ―  ignorance

7. (figurative) intelligent; sensible; informed; wise

   明智  ―  míngzhì  ―  wise; sensible

   英明  ―  yīngmíng  ―  wise

   • 王之不明，豈足福哉！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王之不明，岂足福哉！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Wáng zhī bùmíng, qǐ zú fú zāi!

     How can a monarch's lack of judgement be a blessing? (Literally, "That the monarch is not wise, how can this amount to a blessing?")

8. to understand; to know

   講明／讲明  ―  jiǎngmíng  ―  to explain

   明事理  ―  míngshìlǐ  ―  sensible; capable

   你唔明一定要出聲。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   你唔明一定要出声。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ m⁴ ming⁴ jat¹ ding⁶ jiu³ ceot¹ seng¹.

   If you don't understand you must speak up.

   我真係唔係好明點解（……） [Cantonese, trad.]
   我真系唔系好明点解（……） [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ zan¹ hai⁶ m⁴ hai⁶ hou² ming⁴ dim² gaai² (......)

   I really don't get why (…)

9. evidently

   明知故問／明知故问  ―  míngzhīgùwèn  ―  to ask intentionally a question one already knows the answer to

10. (literary) to make known

    開宗明義／开宗明义  ―  kāizōngmíngyì  ―  to make clear the main idea at the beginning in one's speech or writing

    • 古之欲明明德於天下者，先治其國。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      古之欲明明德于天下者，先治其国。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

      Gǔ zhī yù míng míngdé yú tiānxià zhě, xiān zhì qí guó.

      The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states.

11. next; following

    明天  ―  míngtiān  ―  tomorrow

    明年  ―  míngnián  ―  next year or the following year

    今冬明春  ―  jīn dōng míng chūn  ―  this winter and next spring

12. (literary) tomorrow

    • 明當渡京水，昨晚猶金谷。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      明当渡京水，昨晚犹金谷。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: 721, Wang Wei, 宿鄭州

      Míng dāng dù Jīngshuǐ, zuówǎn yóu Jīngǔ.

      Tomorrow I shall cross Jingshui(the capital's river); last night I was still in Jingu.

13. (～朝) Ming dynasty
14. a surname, listed as #111 on the Baijiaxing
15. (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 明 (MC mjaeng)

See also

Compounds

Descendants

References

• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01784
• “明”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: みょう (myō, Jōyō)^{←みやう (myau, historical)}
• Kan-on: めい (mei, Jōyō)
• Tō-on: みん (min)
• Kun: あかり (akari, 明かり, Jōyō); あかるい (akarui, 明るい, Jōyō); あかるむ (akarumu, 明るむ, Jōyō); あからむ (akaramu, 明らむ, Jōyō); あきらか (akiraka, 明らか, Jōyō); あける (akeru, 明ける, Jōyō); あく (aku, 明く, Jōyō); あくる (akuru, 明くる, Jōyō); あかす (akasu, 明かす, Jōyō)
• Nanori: あ (a); あか (aka); あかり (akari); あかる (akaru); あき (aki); あきら (akira); あけ (ake); あける (akeru); きよし (kiyoshi); くに (kuni); さとし (satoshi); てる (teru); とおる (tōru); とし (toshi); なお (nao); のり (nori); はじめ (hajime); はる (haru); ひろ (hiro); み (mi); みつ (mitsu); よし (yoshi)

Compounds

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 明 (MC mjaeng).

The 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) reading, so likely a later borrowing from Middle Chinese.

Affix

明(めい) • (mei) 

1. bright, brightening
2. clarifying, understanding
3. brighten, enlighten
4. open to the world
5. deity, god

Derived terms

Noun

明(めい) • (mei) 

1. brightness
2. insight
3. eyesight, vision

Etymology 2

/mʲau/ → /mʲɔː/ → /mʲoː/

From Middle Chinese 明 (MC mjaeng).

The 呉音 (goon, literally “Wu sound”) reading, so likely the earlier borrowing from Middle Chinese.

The Buddhist senses are a translation of Sanskrit विद्या (vidyā, “knowledge, wisdom”).

Affix

明(みょう) • (myō) ^{←みやう (myau)?}

1. bright
2. light, lamp
3. clarifying
4. passing to the next in time
5. graceful, respectful
6. (Buddhism) passing of knowledge, scholarship, or study

Derived terms

Noun

明(みょう) • (myō) ^{←みやう (myau)?}

1. (Buddhism) knowledge or wisdom that dispels the darkness of ignorance and brings to the realization of truth; enlightenment
2. (Buddhism) an esoteric mantra

Adnominal

明(みょう) • (myō) ^{←みやう (myau)?}

1. this coming...

Etymology 3

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

明

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Ming dynasty

Wikipedia

From Mandarin 明 (míng).

The 唐音 (tōon, literally “Tang sound”), so likely this reading was borrowed from around the Song dynasty.

Proper noun

明(みん) • (Min) 

1. the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Derived terms

• 明(みん)曲(きょく) (minkyoku)
• 明(みん)朝(ちょう) (Minchō)
• 明(みん)律(りつ) (minritsu)

Etymology 4

Etymology 5

Nominalization of the stem of adjective 明らか (akiraka, “clear, visible”).

Proper noun

明(あきら) • (Akira) 

1. a male given name

References

Korean

Hanja

明 (eumhun 밝을 명 (balgeul myeong))

1. Hanja form^? of 명 (“bright”).

Kunigami

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

• Kun: はか゚い (hakai, 明か゚い)

Miyako

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

• Kun: あかーㇲ゙ (akādz, 明かーㇲ゙)

Okinawan

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• On (unclassified): みー (mī)
• Kun: あかい (akai, 明かい)

Compounds

• 清(しー)明(みー) (shīmī)
• 聡(すー)明(みー) (sūmī)

Vietnamese

Han character

明: Hán Việt readings: minh (眉(mi)兵(binh)切(thiết))
明: Nôm readings: mừng, minh, mầng, miêng, mênh

1. chữ Hán form of minh (“bright; clear”).
2. chữ Hán form of Minh (“given name”).
3. Nôm form of mừng.

Compounds

References

Yaeyama

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

• Kun: あかりぃ (akarï, 明かりぃ)

Yonaguni

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

• Kun: あがい (agai, 明がい)