明确 míngquè clear-cut
clear-cut; definite; explicit; to clarify; to specify; to make definite
How to remember 明确: 明 bright + 确 certain = clear-cut.
Characters
How it is used
- Means "clear-cut / explicit," or as a verb "to make clear" - 明确的目标 (míngquè de mùbiāo) a clearly-defined goal; 明确责任 (míngquè zérèn) to clarify responsibilities.
- Contrast with 明显 (míngxiǎn, obvious to the senses): 明确 is about being unambiguous and precisely specified, not about being noticeable. Formal, common in official and workplace language.
Example sentences
- 法律有很多不明确的地方。 Fǎlǜ yǒu hěnduō bù míngquè de dìfāng.The law is full of ambiguities.