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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "clearly (contrary to expectation)" with 明明 (míngmíng)

    Emphasis
    Negation

    Structure

    明明 + 已经/是 + Clause

    Explanation

    明明 (míngmíng) means "clearly" or "obviously," but it carries a tone of contradiction or frustration — the speaker knows something to be true, yet reality contradicts it. It is used to emphasize a discrepancy between what is known and what has happened.

    Examples

    • 我明明锁了门,怎么现在开着?

      wǒ míngmíng suǒ le mén, zěnme xiànzài kāizhe?

      I clearly locked the door, so how is it open now?

    • 她明明答应了要来,结果却没出现。

      tā míngmíng dāyìng le yào lái, jiéguǒ què méi chūxiàn.

      She clearly promised she would come, but she didn't show up.

    • 明明是你先说的,现在怎么不承认了?

      míngmíng shì nǐ xiān shuō de, xiànzài zěnme bù chéngrèn le?

      You were clearly the one who said it first, so how come you won't admit it now?

    Expressing "clearly (contrary to expectation)" with 明明 (míngmíng) | Chinese Grammar