三明 (Sān míng) — the three luminaries (sun, moon, and stars)

Definition

Literary/classical term for the 'three luminaries' — the sun, moon, and stars together. Found mostly in poetry and ancient texts, not in everyday speech.

noun
the three luminaries (sun, moon, and stars)

Examples

  • 三明。
    Gǔ dài rén rèn wéi Sān míng shì tiān kōng zhōng zuì liàng de sān gè tiān tǐ.
    Ancient people considered the three luminaries to be the three brightest celestial bodies in the sky.
  • ，三明。
    Zài zhōng wén gǔ shī zhōng, Sān míng cháng cháng dài biǎo guāng míng.
    In classical Chinese poetry, the three luminaries often represent brightness.
  • 三明。
    Hěn duō gǔ dài shī gē dōu zàn měi le Sān míng de měi lì.
    Many ancient poems praise the beauty of the three luminaries.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

三sānthree
明míngbright

The three and bright parts combine to mean the three luminaries.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

Open 三 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →

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