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表白 (biǎo bái) — to confess one's feelings (especially romantic love); to express or reveal one's thoughts or feelings; to state clearly

Definition

表白 is a 'confession' — the act of revealing something personal, especially romantic feelings. 表示 is the everyday word for expressing opinions or feelings; 表明 is to state or clarify facts/positions, more formal than 表白.

verb
to confess one's feelings (especially romantic love)to express or reveal one's thoughts or feelingsto state clearly

Examples

  • 表白。
    Tā gǔ qǐ yǒng qì xiàng tā biǎo bái le.
    He mustered up the courage to confess his feelings to her.
  • 表白。
    Tā zài xìn lǐ biǎo bái le zì jǐ de xīn yì.
    She expressed her feelings in the letter.
  • ，表白。
    Zài biàn lùn zhōng, tā míng què biǎo bái le zì jǐ de lì chǎng.
    During the debate, he clearly stated his position.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

表biǎoexpress
白báiexplain

表 and 白 both mean to express or explain; together they form 表白.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & SpeechRomance & Marriage

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