明示 (míng shì) — to express or indicate clearly; to explicitly state or instruct (formal)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to state or show clearly and on the record' — stronger and more official than everyday words like 说 or 告诉, used in legal and official contexts.

verb
to express or indicate clearlyto explicitly state or instruct (formal)

Examples

  • 明示。
    Hé tong yǐ míng shì shuāng fāng de quán lì hé yì wù.
    The contract has clearly stated the rights and obligations of both parties.
  • 明示。
    Zhèng fǔ míng shì jìn zhǐ zài zhè ge qū yù tíng chē.
    The government explicitly prohibits parking in this area.
  • 明示。
    Fǎ lǜ tiáo wén méi yǒu míng shì zhè yì diǎn.
    The legal provision does not clearly indicate this point.

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míngclearly
示shìshow

明 (clearly) with 示 (show) means to show something clearly or state it explicitly.

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.

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →

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