判明 (pàn míng) — to ascertain; to determine clearly (after investigation)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to determine/ascertain clearly' after investigation. 区别 is the everyday word for distinguishing; 判明 is used in writing for established conclusions.

verb
to ascertainto determine clearly (after investigation)

Examples

  • ，判明。
    Jīng guò diào chá, pàn míng le tā de zhēn shí shēn fèn.
    Through investigation, they ascertained his real identity.
  • ，判明。
    Qíng kuàng fù zá, hěn nán pàn míng shì fēi.
    The situation is complicated; it's hard to distinguish right from wrong.
  • 判明。
    Wǒ men xū yào jǐn kuài pàn míng shì gù yuán yīn.
    We need to ascertain the cause of the accident as soon as possible.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

判pàndetermine
明míngclear

判 (determine) plus 明 (clear) gives 'ascertain clearly'.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn判pàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

判 combines 刀, a knife, with 半, which provides the sound.

Open 判 →

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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