to prove; proof; certificate
HSK level
证明 is written with 15 strokes (证: 7, 明: 8). The animation replays automatically.
证明 (zhèngmíng) works as both verb and noun.
As a verb it means "to prove, demonstrate, or verify" — showing with evidence that something is true: 事实证明他是对的 ("the facts proved he was right"). As a noun it means "proof" or, very often in daily life, a "certificate" — an official document that attests to something: 收入证明 (proof of income), 医生证明 (a doctor's note). The two characters are 证 (evidence/certificate) and 明 (clear), literally "make clear with evidence."
Distinguish it from 证据 (zhèngjù), which is the evidence itself — the material used to prove — whereas 证明 is the act of proving or the document that results. Also keep it apart from 说明 (shuōmíng), which explains or instructs rather than proves.
Note: Neutral; the noun sense (a written certificate) is common in official and bureaucratic contexts.
Character by character
Memory hook: 证 (evidence) makes something 明 (clear) → to prove it.
证明 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
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Zhèxiē shùjù zhèngmíng le tā de guāndiǎn.
This data proved his point.
written
我需要一份工作证明。
Wǒ xūyào yí fèn gōngzuò zhèngmíng.
I need an employment certificate.
neutral
时间会证明一切。
Shíjiān huì zhèngmíng yíqiè.
Time will prove everything.
spoken
你能证明这是真的吗？
Nǐ néng zhèngmíng zhè shì zhēn de ma?
Can you prove this is true?
spoken
证实 means to confirm that a specific claim or report is true (证实了消息). 证明 is broader — to demonstrate truth in general, and it also names the document.
表明 means to indicate or make one's position clear (态度表明). 证明 implies evidence establishing that something is factually true.
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