显 (xiǎn): to make visible, to reveal, prominent
显 (xiǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to make visible.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 日 (semantic) and 业 (phonetic). It ranks #469 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 显 sun. Its radical form 日 (sun) appears in many related characters such as 日 (rì, sun, day), 早 (zǎo, early, morning), 时 (shí, time, hour).
Definitions
- to make visible
- to reveal
- prominent
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 显 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 显
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 显然adjective | xiǎn rán | clearly | 5 |
| 明显adjective | míng xiǎn | clear | 5 |
| 显示verb | xiǎn shì | to show | 5 |
| 显得verb | xiǎn de | to seem | 5 |
| 显著adjective | xiǎn zhù | outstanding | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 显而易见phrase | xiǎn ér yì jiàn | clearly and easy to see (idiom) |
| 显眼adjective | xiǎn yǎn | conspicuous |
| 显现verb | xiǎn xiàn | appearance |
| 显微镜noun | xiǎn wēi jìng | microscope |
| 显露verb | xiǎn lù | to become visible |
| 显出verb | xiǎn chū | to express |
| 显赫adjective | xiǎn hè | illustrious |
| 显示器noun | xiǎn shì qì | display device |
| 显灵verb | xiǎn líng | (of a supernatural or divine being) to appear |
| 大显身手phrase | dà xiǎn shēn shǒu | (idiom) fully displaying one's capabilities |
| 凸显verb | tū xiǎn | to stand out clearly |
| 显示屏noun | xiǎn shì píng | display screen |
| 显贵adjective | xiǎn guì | dignitary |
| 显形verb | xiǎn xíng | to show one's true nature (derog.) |
| 突显verb | tū xiǎn | conspicuous |
显 appears in 100 compound words: 59 as the first character, 14 as the last, and 27 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 显 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
to display all of one's capabilities; to strut one's stuff; to show off one's skills
to display one's remarkable skill or prowess; to give full play to one's brilliant abilities
to display all of one's capabilities; to strut one's stuff; to show off one's skills
to display one's remarkable skill or prowess; to give full play to one's brilliant abilities
Example Sentences
显复一日，他坚持早起锻炼身体。
xiǎn fù yī rì , tā jiān chí zǎo qǐ duàn liàn shēn tī .
Day after day, he persisted in getting up early to exercise.
...2小时内都有效吗?超过48小时失败率会明显上升吗
. . . 2 xiǎo shí nèi dōu yǒu xiào ma ? chāo guò 4 8 xiǎo shí shī bài lǜ huì míng xiǎn shàng shēng ma
... Does it work for 2 hours? Will the failure rate increase significantly after 48 hours?
郑丽文撞钟诡异抖动!命理师惊揭“是他显灵”要警告关键1事
zhèng lí wén zhuàng zhōng guǐ yì dǒu dòng ! mìng lǐ shī jīng jiē shì tā xiǎn líng yāo jǐng gào guān jiàn 1 shì
Zheng Liwen rang the bell and shook strangely! The numerologist revealed that "it was he who appeared" to warn about one key thing
...成长1成 航港局即时启动海空联防机制成效显着
. . . chéng cháng 1 chéng háng gǎng jú jí shí qǐ dòng hǎi kōng lián fáng jī zhì chéng xiào xiǎn zhe
... Growth of 10% The Port Authority immediately launched the joint defense mechanism of the sea and air, and the results were remarkable
...us Group 2026财年上半年业绩显示战略转型中的韧性
. . . u s G r o u p 2 0 2 6 cái nián shàng bàn nián yè jì xiǎn shì zhàn lüè zhuǎn xíng zhōng de rèn xìng
... US Group's results for the first half of fiscal 2026 show resilience in the midst of strategic transformation
州长竞选最新民调无明显领先者
zhōu cháng jìng xuǎn zuì xīn mín diào wú míng xiǎn lǐng xiān zhě
The latest polls for governor do not have a clear lead
他显摆自己能说6种语言。
Tā xiǎnbai zìjǐ néng shuō 6 zhǒng yǔyán.
He boasts that he can speak six languages.
最近的一项调查显示吸烟的人数减少了。
Zuì jìn de yī xiàng diàochá xiǎnshì xīyān de rénshù jiǎnshǎo le.
A recent survey shows that the number of smokers is decreasing.
他用浅显的英语演讲。
Tā yòng qiǎnxiǎn de Yīngyǔ yǎnjiǎng.
He made a speech in plain English.
测验结果显示他有多发愤上学。
Cèyàn jiéguǒ xiǎnshì tā yǒu duō fāfèn shàngxué.
The test result showed how much he had studied.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 日 (sun) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 显 (xiǎn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 显 have?
What is the radical of 显?
What are the components of 显?
What are common words containing 显?
What characters sound the same as 显 (xiǎn)?
Is 显 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 显 with real-time feedback
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