名míng

名

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Simplified form (簡體). 名 (míng, "name") remains unchanged from traditional, its ancient composition showing a mouth (口) beside the moon (夕) — scholars debate whether it depicts calling out at night to identify oneself, or a badge marking one's identity. This versatile character anchors countless words from 名字 (name) to 著名 (famous), proving that something as basic as a name still shapes how we understand fame, reputation, and selfhood.

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Shuowen

名 depicts a person standing beside an open mouth, representing the act of calling out to someone. The original meaning is “to name” or “to call,” because the open mouth signifies vocalization. The combination of a human figure and a mouth conveys the idea of naming or addressing.

Pinyin

míng· HSK 1

名míng

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin