明
bright
At a glance · 明
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
「明」甲骨文从日从月，象日月并照，金文小篆承之。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
「明」本义为光明、明亮，引申明白、明察、明天。
Structure
从日、从月，会意字，日月交辉为明，本为光明（亦从囧）。
At a glance
Pinyinmíng
Radical日
Strokes8
UnicodeU+660E
Character type会意
Theme天文
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
bright
bright, light, brilliant; clear
Français
clair / Chengming
Clair ; Chengming (palais). «左达承明» : lumineux, le palais.
Español
claro / Chengming
Claro; Chengming (palacio). «左达承明»: luminoso, el palacio.
العربية
مضيء / تشنغ-مينغ
مضيء؛ تشنغ-مينغ (قصر). «左达承明»: منير، القصر.
Русский
светлый / Чэн-мин
Светлый; Чэн-мин (дворец). «左达承明»: светлый, дворец.
Common words
- 明亮míng liàngbright
- 明míngbright