明白人

míngbairén
noun #34,516

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 a sensible person
  2. 2 someone who 'gets it'
  3. 3 a person with good understanding / clear thinking

Examples

Tā shì gè míngbairén, yī diǎn jiù tōng.
He's a sensible person — give him one hint and he gets it.
Zuò míngbairén bù róngyì, yào dǒngdé fēncùn.
Being a 'sensible person' isn't easy — you need a sense of proportion.

Tips

usage
Praise term meaning someone who reads situations well, doesn't need things spelled out, and acts wisely. Often paired with 装糊涂 (zhuāng hútu, 'pretending to be confused') in the proverb 难得糊涂 'sometimes you have to play dumb' — even a 明白人 knows when not to flaunt their understanding.
memory
明白 'to understand / clear' + 'person' = a person who understands. Literal and intuitive.

Stroke Order

míng
bái
rén