Chinese word

透明

Pronunciation

Pinyintòu míng

Meaning

  • adjectivetransparent

Example

这件衣服有点透明，我要换内搭。zhè jiàn yī fú yóu diǎn tòu míng wǒ yào huàn nèi dā

This piece of clothing is a little transparent, so I want to change what I wear underneath.

Illustration for 透明 (transparent)

More examples

窗户是透明的，可以让阳光进来。chuāng hù shì tòu míng de ké yǐ ràng yáng guāng jìn lái

The window is transparent, so it can let sunlight in.

Core concept

What lies beyond a layer remains visible because light can cross it, creating a broader sense of nothing important being hidden.

Common phrases

  • 透明的玻璃tòu míng de bō lí

    transparent glass

  • 透明的包装tòu míng de bāo zhuāng

    transparent packaging

  • 变得透明biàn de tòu míng

    become transparent

Similar words

清晰qīng xī: Having clear outlines and details that are easy to see.
模糊mó hú: Having blurry outlines or shapes that are hard to see clearly.
不透明bú tòu míng: Blocking light or sight so that what lies behind cannot be seen.
公开gōng kāi: Openly shared so that information or facts are available for anyone to know.

Definition in Chinese

允许光线或视线通过，能看见物体内部或背面；也可比喻为公开、无隐瞒的状况。yún xǔ guāng xiàn huò shì xiàn tōng guò néng kàn jiàn wù tǐ nèi bù huò bèi miàn yě kě bǐ yù wèi gōng kāi wú yǐn mán de zhuàng kuàng

Word origin

透明 (tòumíng, "transparent") is built from 透 (tòu, "pass through") plus 明 (míng, "clear and bright"), a compact image of visibility that extends naturally from objects to conduct and information.

Usage tips

  • For fabric, the word focuses on how much the material reveals, so it can describe a partial effect rather than an all-or-nothing condition.

Other meanings

  • show throughverb

Opposites

  • 不透明bú tòu míngnot transparentadjective
  • 模糊mó húblurryadjective

Related words

  • 透明度tòu míng dùtransparencynoun
  • 透明化tòu míng huàmake transparentverb
  • 半透明bàn tòu míngtranslucentadjective

Word lists with this word