HSK 5 · Verbs

表现 biǎoxiàn “to show” in Chinese

Traditional 表現

What 表现 means

  1. to show
  2. to display
  3. performance
  4. to show off
  5. to manifest
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • expression
  • manifestation

How to say 表现

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale表biǎo3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale现xiàn4th tone, falling

表现 in a sentence

  1. 他在学校的表现很好。

    Tā zài xuéxiào de biǎoxiàn hěn hǎo.

    He’s doing very well at school.

    Sentence #889576 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  2. 我对我今天的表现不是很满意。

    Wǒ duì wǒ jīntiān de biǎoxiàn bú shì hěn mǎnyì.

    I’m not very happy with how I did today.

    Sentence #6045738 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  3. 有时候成人表现得像儿童。

    Yǒushíhou chéngrén biǎoxiàn de xiàng értóng.

    Sometimes adults act like children.

    Sentence #5581726 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 表现 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 表 (biǎo) with each of its parts in a different colour
表biǎoexterior surface
  • 毛fur · máo
  • 衣clothes · yī

Memory aidFur 毛 on the outside of clothes 衣: the outside, to show.

The character 现 (xiàn) with each of its parts in a different colour
现xiànto appear
  • 王king · wáng
  • 见to see · jiàn

Memory aid王 here is jade 玉, and 见 gives the sound (it was once also read xiàn, “to appear”). Picture jade catching the eye: to appear, now.

How to write 表现

表 8 strokes · 现 8 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

表现 (biǎoxiàn) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 表现 (biǎoxiàn). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 表现

Words with 表

手表shǒubiǎo · watch表示biǎoshì · to express表扬biǎoyáng · to praise表演biǎoyǎn · to perform表格biǎogé · form表达biǎodá · to express表明biǎomíng · to make clear代表dàibiǎo · representative表情biǎoqíng · (facial) expression发表fābiǎo · to issue

Words with 现

现在xiànzài · now发现fāxiàn · discover出现chūxiàn · to appear现金xiànjīn · cash现代xiàndài · modern times实现shíxiàn · to achieve体现tǐxiàn · to embody现实xiànshí · reality现象xiànxiàng · phenomenon现场xiànchǎng · scene

More words: Common Verbs

保存bǎocún · to conserve背bēi · to carry on one’s back避免bìmiǎn · to avoid表明biǎomíng · to make clear补充bǔchōng · to replenish采取cǎiqǔ · to adopt or carry out (measures踩cǎi · to step on参与cānyù · to take part (in)

FAQs

表现 (biǎoxiàn) means “to show” or “to display”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it biǎoxiàn: biǎo with a 3rd tone, then xiàn with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 表现 is written 表現. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type biaoxian with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 表现 from the suggestions. Typing biaoxian into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
表现 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.