TongTong
Sign in

明日 (míng rì) — tomorrow (formal, literary); the near future (literary)

Definition

明日 (míngrì) is a formal, literary word for 'tomorrow' — used in writing, speeches, and set phrases like 明日黄花. In everyday speech, use 明天 instead.

noun
tomorrow (formal, literary)the near future (literary)

Examples

  • 明日。
    míng rì De huì yì jiāng tǎo lùn zhè xiàng zhòng yào tí àn.
    Tomorrow's meeting will discuss this important proposal.
  • 明日，。
    Wǒ men bù néng zhī huó zài míng rì, gèng yào bǎ wò dāng xià.
    We can't live only for the near future; we must seize the present.
  • 明日，，。
    míng rì Zhī shì, jīn rì wèi zhī, fāng wéi shàng cè.
    Do tomorrow's work today — that's the best strategy.

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.

明míngnext/bright
日rìday

明 here points to the next day, and 日 means day, so 明日 is tomorrow.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →
Appears in
Days & Weeks

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.