说明

• Pinyin: shuō míng
• Hanzi breakdown: 说 = 讠(speech) + 兑 (exchange, phonetic), meaning 'to speak'; 明 = 日 (sun) + 月 (moon), meaning 'bright/clear'

Meaning

To explain; explanation; instructions. To clarify or provide information about something.

Functions as both a verb (to explain, to show) and a noun (explanation, instructions). As a verb, it means to explain a situation or to demonstrate/prove something (这说明... 'this shows that...'). As a noun, it refers to written instructions or manuals (说明书 instruction manual, 使用说明 usage guide).

Examples

1. 请你说明一下这个问题。 Please explain this problem.
2. 这说明他很努力。 This shows that he works very hard.
3. 产品说明上写得很清楚。 The product instructions are written very clearly.

Usage Guide

Context: work, instructions, reasoning

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 老师说明了考试的要求。(The teacher explained the exam requirements.)
• 这本说明书有中文版吗？(Is there a Chinese version of this instruction manual?)

Don't Say

• 不要把说明和解释完全等同 (Don't treat 说明 and 解释 as identical — 说明 often implies providing information or proof, while 解释 focuses more on clarifying misunderstandings)

Origin & History

说 (shuō, to speak) + 明 (míng, bright/clear). Literally 'to speak clearly,' meaning to explain something so that it becomes understood.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal