About

The word 明白 is formed from the characters 明 and 白. 明 is composed of 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), representing light or brightness, and 白 means white or clear. Their combined meanings of visual and conceptual clarity yield the sense of "to understand" or "clear".

Example Sentences Hide

我明白你的意思。

Wǒ míngbai nǐ de yìsi.

I understand your meaning.

他明白这个问题的严重性。

Tā míngbai zhège wèntí de yánzhòng xìng.

He understands the seriousness of this problem.

如果你不明白，可以问我。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù míngbai, kěyǐ wèn wǒ.

If you don't understand, you can ask me.

经过解释，我终于明白了其中的道理。

Jīngguò jiěshì, wǒ zhōngyú míngbai le qízhōng de dàolǐ.

After the explanation, I finally understood the reasoning behind it.

在复杂的情况下，我们必须明白自己的责任。

Zài fùzá de qíngkuàng xià, wǒmen bìxū míngbai zìjǐ de zérèn.

In complex situations, we must understand our own responsibilities.

Word Definition - 明白

míng bai to understand; clear, obvious

Individual Character Details

明 míng, míng
白 bái, bái