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# ming

noun (Mandarin, pinyin; the Ming dynasty); name — not an English word

«ming» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (Mandarin, pinyin) «Míng» means «bright» or «clear» in Mandarin Chinese and is part of words like «míngtiān» (tomorrow) and «míngzi» (name). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#m1)
2. (history) The Ming dynasty was a family of emperors who ruled China for nearly three hundred years; it is famous for blue-and-white porcelain and for building much of the Great Wall we see today. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#m2)
3. (a name) Ming is a Chinese personal name or part of one. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#m3)
4. (UK slang) «Minging» means disgusting; «ming» is rarely heard on its own. To an English ear it sounds just like it is spelt, «ming». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#m4)

### In the lessons

In Mandarin lessons pupils meet «míngzi» (name: «nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?» = what is your name?) and «míngtiān» (tomorrow). In history lessons «Ming» comes in «Ming dynasty», «Ming vase» and the Great Wall. In stories, «Ming the Merciless» is a villain in an old science-fiction comic.

### Examples

- In Mandarin, «míngtiān» means «tomorrow». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x1)
- «Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?» means «What is your name?» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x2)
- The museum had a blue-and-white Ming vase. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x3)
- Much of the Great Wall that tourists visit was built under the Ming emperors. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x4)
- My friend Ming sits next to me in maths. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x5)
- The Ming dynasty came after the Mongol rulers of China. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x6)
- Pinyin «ming» sounds the same as it looks in English. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/#x7)

### Note

Not an English word on its own. In pinyin, the mark on the vowel shows the tone; «míng» has a rising tone, and a different tone can mean a different word. As a dynasty or a person's name it needs a capital: «the Ming dynasty», «Ming». «Ming vase» is often used in stories to mean something very precious and easy to break.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «ming» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/ming/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«ming» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/ming.html) on Mova free.