TongTong
Sign in

英明 (yīng míng) — wise, brilliant

Definition

英明 means 'wise and sagacious,' almost always for leaders, decisions, or choices. Stronger and more formal than 明智, and used for people rather than the scenery-focused 灿烂.

adjective
wisebrilliant

Examples

  • 英明。
    Tā de jiàn yì fēi cháng yīng míng.
    His suggestion is very wise.
  • 英明。
    Zhè wèi yīng míng de lǐng dǎo dài lǐng wǒ men zǒu xiàng chéng gōng.
    This wise leader leads us toward success.
  • 英明。
    Zhè shì yí gè yīng míng de xuǎn zé.
    This is a wise choice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

英yīngoutstanding
明míngclear-sighted

英 (outstanding) and 明 (clear-sighted) combine to describe wise, brilliant judgment.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
央
央yāng英yīng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

英 pairs 艹 (grass) with 央, which gives the sound.

Open 英 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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