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鲜明 (xiān míng) — (of colors) bright, vivid; (of opinions, contrasts, etc.) clear-cut, distinct

Definition

鲜明 highlights vivid, strong contrast — for colors and for sharply opposed views or stances. Compared with 明显 ('obvious, evident'), 鲜明 is more about striking impact; 鲜艳 is limited to bright colors.

adjective
(of colors) brightvivid(of opinions, contrasts, etc.) clear-cutdistinct

Examples

  • 鲜明。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu yán sè hěn xiān míng.
    This piece of clothing has very bright colors.
  • 鲜明，。
    Tā de lì chǎng fēi cháng xiān míng, cóng bù mó léng liǎng kě.
    His stance is very clear-cut; he never sits on the fence.
  • 鲜明。
    Zhè liǎng fú huà xíng chéng le xiān míng de duì bǐ.
    These two paintings form a distinct contrast.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

鲜xiānbright
明míngclear

鲜 gives brightness, 明 gives clarity, so 鲜明 is bright and distinct.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
羴
羴shān鮮xiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

Open 鲜 →

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 6HSK 2.0 Level 6

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