发明 (fāmíng): to invent

Meanings

1 to invent
2 invention

Characters

发

Literally 'to bring to light' — making something new visible to the world.

Examples

谁发明了纸？

Shéi fāmíng le zhǐ?

Who invented paper?

这是一个伟大的发明。

Zhè shì yī gè wěidà de fāmíng.

This is a great invention.

他发明了一种新的机器。

Tā fāmíng le yī zhǒng xīn de jīqì.

He invented a new machine.

Tips

mistakes

Don't confuse 发明 (invent, create something new) with 发现 (discover, find something existing). Paper was 发明 (invented); America was 发现 (discovered).

In Pop Culture

四大发明 Sì Dà Fāmíng

Four Great Inventions

paper, printing, gunpowder, compass — changed the world

Stroke Order

发 fā

明 míng

Related Words

发出 fāchū HSK 3 #2,384

to issue / to send out / to emit

发表 fābiǎo HSK 3 #2,703

to publish / to issue / to express publicly

发展 fāzhǎn HSK 3 #1,646

to develop / development / to grow

发动 fādòng HSK 3 #3,417

to launch / to start / to mobilize

发送 fāsòng HSK 3 #3,531

to send / to transmit / to dispatch

发生 fāshēng HSK 3 #184

to happen / to occur / to take place

发言 fāyán HSK 3 #4,941

to make a speech / to speak / statement

沙发 shāfā HSK 3 #2,580

sofa; couch

表明 biǎomíng HSK 3 #2,323

to make clear; to indicate / to show; to demonstrate

声明 shēngmíng HSK 3 #3,378

to declare / to state / statement; declaration