发 fā / fà — to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; hair
老师给我们发了新课本。Lǎo shī gěi wǒ men fā le xīn kè běn.The teacher handed out new textbooks to us.
Common words: 发现 (fā xiàn)、头发 (tóu fa)、出发 (chū fā)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to show"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to show", including 发 (fā / fà), 表 (biǎo), 示 (shì), 露 (lù / lòu), 暴 (bào), 摆 (bǎi). Study pinyin…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to show" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 发 (fā / fà), 表 (biǎo), 示 (shì), 露 (lù / lòu), 暴 (bào), 摆 (bǎi), 呈 (chéng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span fā, fà, biǎo, shì, lù, lòu, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 发 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 发 fā / fàto send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; hairUseful words: 发现, 头发
- 表 biǎosurface; exterior; to watch; to show; express; an exampleUseful words: 手表, 表现
- 示 shìto show; revealUseful words: 表示, 显示
- 露 lù / lòuto show; to reveal; to expos; dewUseful words: 透露, 暴露
- 暴 bàosudden; violent; cruel; to show or expose; to injureUseful words: 暴雨, 暴力
Common words for these 7 "to show" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 发 (fā / fà) — so "to show" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
发现fā xiànto notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find头发tóu fahair (on the head)出发chū fāto set off; to start (on a journey)手表shǒu biǎowristwatch表现biǎo xiànto show; to show off; to display; to manifest代表dài biǎorepresentative; delegate; to represent; to stand for表示biǎo shì(of sb) to express; to state; to show; (of sth) to indicate显示xiǎn shìto show; to illustrate; to display; to demonstrate暗示àn shìto hint; to suggest; hint; suggestion透露tòu lùto leak out; to divulge; to reveal
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 7 ways to say "to show".
表 biǎo — surface; exterior; to watch; to show; express; an example
请填写这张表格。Qǐng tián xiě zhè zhāng biǎo gé.Please fill out this form.
Common words: 手表 (shǒu biǎo)、表现 (biǎo xiàn)、代表 (dài biǎo)
示 shì — to show; reveal
老师给我们示范了正确的写法。Lǎo shī gěi wǒ men shì fàn le zhèng què de xiě fǎ.The teacher demonstrated the correct way to write.
Common words: 表示 (biǎo shì)、显示 (xiǎn shì)、暗示 (àn shì)
露 lù / lòu — to show; to reveal; to expos; dew
清晨，草叶上挂满了露珠。Qīng chén, cǎo yè shàng guà mǎn le lù zhū.In the early morning, the grass blades are covered with dewdrops.
Common words: 透露 (tòu lù)、暴露 (bào lù)、揭露 (jiē lù)
暴 bào — sudden; violent; cruel; to show or expose; to injure
昨晚下了一场暴雨。Zuó wǎn xià le yì chǎng bào yǔ.Last night there was a rainstorm.
Common words: 暴雨 (bào yǔ)、暴力 (bào lì)、暴露 (bào lù)
摆 bǎi — pendulum; to place; to display; to swing; to oscillate; to show
桌子上整齐地摆着几本书。Zhuō zi shàng zhěng qí de bǎi zhe jǐ běn shū.A few books are neatly placed on the table.
Common words: 摆脱 (bǎi tuō)、摆动 (bǎi dòng)、摆放 (bǎi fàng)
呈 chéng — to assume (a form); to submit; to petition; to show; to present; to offer
雨后的天空呈现出一片金色。Yǔ hòu de tiān kōng chéng xiàn chū yí piàn jīn sè.The sky after the rain takes on a golden color.
Common words: 呈现 (chéng xiàn)、辞呈 (cí chéng)、呈文 (chéng wén)
All 7 characters
Open 发、表、示 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.