明快 (míng kuài) — bright and cheerful, sprightly; straightforward, clear-cut

Definition

Adjective for a style that is bright, lively, and easy to grasp — used for personalities, colors, and writing. 简洁 is a closer fit for 'concise prose'; 明快 adds a sense of cheerfulness and clarity.

adjective
bright and cheerfulsprightlystraightforwardclear-cut

Examples

  • 明快，。
    Tā de xìng gé hěn míng kuài, dà jiā dōu xǐ huan hé tā liáo tiān.
    His personality is very bright and straightforward; everyone likes chatting with him.
  • 明快，。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng xiě dé fēi cháng míng kuài, dú qǐ lái hěn shū fu.
    This article is written very clearly and vividly; it's a pleasure to read.
  • 明快，。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu de yán sè hěn míng kuài, zài yáng guāng xià tè bié hǎo kàn.
    The color of this piece of clothing is very bright; it looks especially nice in the sunlight.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

明míngbright
快kuàiquick

明 gives bright and 快 gives quick, together suggesting a clear, lively quality.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài快kuài
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

Open 快 →

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