证明
to prove; proof; certificate
HSK level
- Pinyin
- zhèngmíng
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 4
- Strokes
- 15
- Register
- neutral
- Measure word
- 份 / 张
- In episodes
- 2
Stroke order for 证明
证明 is written with 15 strokes (证: 7, 明: 8). The animation replays automatically.
What does 证明 mean?
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.
Hear 证明 in real episodes
证明 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
今年七月的第十三次试飞，证明了星舰可以在太空中重新点燃发动机，这是控制返回最关键的能力。
The thirteenth test flight in July proved that Starship could relight an engine in space, the most crucial ability for a controlled return.
Starship Reaches Orbit for the First Time, Deploys 26 Starlink Satellites — Then Comes Home EarlyAdvanced
你还要证明，附近卖酒的地方不够，满足不了当地人的需要。
You also have to prove that there aren't enough places selling alcohol nearby to meet local needs.
Selling Alcohol Is So Hard in Northern Ireland That Lidl Opened a Pub Inside Its Supermarket
Example sentences
这些数据证明了他的观点。
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
Common phrases with 证明
Synonyms
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.
Don't confuse 证明 with
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 证明 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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