明明

míngmíng

adverb HSK 5 #4,475

Meanings

Doubling 明 (clear) intensifies it — 'clearly, obviously.'

Nǐ míngmíng zhīdào dá'àn, wèi shénme bù shuō?

You obviously know the answer — why won't you say?

Míngmíng shì nǐ de cuò, nǐ hái bù chéngrèn.

It's clearly your fault, yet you still won't admit it.

Tā míngmíng dāyìng le, hòulái yòu fǎnhuǐ le.

He clearly agreed, but later went back on his word.

usage

明明 often implies frustration or contradiction — the speaker is pointing out something that should be obvious but is being denied or ignored.

grammar

Typically placed before the verb/adjective: 明明 + verb/adj + 却/可是/还... (yet/but/still...)

明 míng