明白
míng bai
clear; obvious; unequivocal
sensible; reasonable; to understand; to realize
bright (明) + clear (白) = complete understanding
Both characters evoke illumination: 明 combines sun and moon for complete brightness, while 白 depicts the pure light of dawn. Together they emphasize total clarity from every angle.
他说得很明白。
tā shuō de hěn míng bai.
He spoke very clearly.
我现在明白你的意思了。
wǒ xiàn zài míng bai nǐ de yì si le.
I now understand what you mean.