TongTong
Sign in

清楚 (qīng chu) — (adjective) clear, distinct; (verb) to understand clearly, to be clear about

Definition

清楚 covers both 'clear/distinct' (sound, image, handwriting) and 'to understand clearly.' As an adjective, it describes how something looks or sounds; 明白 is more about understanding a fact or realizing something.

adjective
cleardistinct
verb
to understand clearlyto be clear about

Examples

  • 清楚。
    Tā de fā yīn hěn qīng chu.
    Her pronunciation is very clear.
  • 清楚？
    Nǐ néng shuō qīng chu ma?
    Can you say it clearly?
  • 清楚。
    Wǒ qīng chu zhè ge wèn tí de dá àn.
    I am clear about the answer to this question.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

清qīngclear
楚chǔdistinct

清 means clear and 楚 means distinct, combining to give clear or understandable.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →

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
林林línforest; grove; woods
Sound part声符shēngfú
疋
疋pǐ楚chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form combined 林 (forest) with a part like a footprint, perhaps pointing to a place with a group of trees. In 楚, the lower part is written as 疋, which gives the sound and preserves part of that drawing.

Open 楚 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 31000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsThinking & Cognition2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.