黎明 (lí míng) — dawn, daybreak | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

黎明 (límíng) is a slightly literary word for 'dawn, daybreak' — more formal than 一早 (colloquial) and more tied to a specific moment than the broader time window 清晨. 曙光 adds a figurative sense of hope or the start of a new era.

noun

dawndaybreak

Examples

黎明，。
lí míng Shí fēn, chéng shì màn màn xǐng lái.
At dawn, the city slowly wakes up.
黎明，。
Cóng lí míng dào huáng hūn, tā yì zhí dōu zài gōng zuò.
From dawn till dusk, he was working all the time.
黎明，。
lí míng De yáng guāng sǎ zài hú miàn shàng, fēi cháng měi lì.
The dawn sunlight spilled over the lake, very beautiful.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

黎 points to darkness and 明 to brightness, so the word names the time when darkness gives way to light.

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

黍黍shǔmillet

Sound part声符shēngfú

利

利lì黎lí

Same sound today

黎 pairs 黍, meaning millet, with 利 as its sound part; here the 黍 part is shortened.

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

日月明

日日rìsun
月月yuèmoon

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Time of Day

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