a semantically light, transitive verb that is combined with various grammatical objects to form compound verbs and verb-object phrases with a diverse range of meanings (e.g. 打傘｜打伞 "to hold an umbrella", 打電話｜打电话 "to make a phone call", 打針｜打针 "to get an injection", 打手套 "to knit gloves", 打氣｜打气 "to inflate") / to hit; to strike / to fight / (coll.) from; since (as in 打那以後｜打那以后 "since then")

bright; light / to shine; to flash / loud and clear / to show (one's passport etc); to make public (one's views etc)

light / radiance / (fig.) bright (prospects etc) / openhearted

to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born / to arise; to occur / to light (a fire) / to live; to be alive / life / raw; uncooked; unprocessed / unfamiliar; strange / (bound form) student; person engaged in a field / (bound form) male role in traditional opera / (bound form) life; lifetime / (bound form) means of livelihood / (bound form) very; intensely (as in 生疼) / (bound form) in a forced manner (as in 生拉硬拽)

light; ray (CL:道) / bright; shiny / only; merely / used up; finished / to leave (a part of the body) uncovered

light / easy / gentle / soft / reckless / unimportant / frivolous / small in number / unstressed / neutral / to disparage

to allow / to grant / in accordance with / in the light of

(stage) lighting / light

according to; in light of

to bind / bunch / bundle / classifier for bunches, bundles, beams of light etc / to control

to press / to push / to leave aside or shelve / to control / to restrain / to keep one's hand on / to check or refer to / according to / in the light of / (of an editor or author) to make a comment

light ray / CL: 條｜条, 道 / light / illumination / lighting (for a photograph)

lamp / light / lantern / CL: 盞｜盏

to close (a door) / to turn off (light, electrical equipment etc)

to touch briefly; to tap / to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list) / to order (food etc); to select / to mention; to bring up (a topic or person) / to hint at; to imply / to administer (eye medicine etc) in drops / to light (a fire, a lamp etc); to ignite / to nod (one's head) in agreement; to beckon by moving (one's hand) up and down / point; dot; spot; speck / dot stroke in Chinese characters / (math.) decimal point / point in time or space / (after a number) o'clock / a small amount; a bit; (after a verb or adjective) a bit more / classifier for small amounts

thin / cold in manner / indifferent / weak / light / infertile

light roast (coffee) / Taiwan pr. [qian3pei4]

(of trains etc) late / delayed / behind schedule / light dinner

light / gentle / relaxed / effortless / uncomplicated / to relax / to take things less seriously

to ignite / to light a fire / to agitate / to start an engine / ignition / fig. to stir up trouble

at dawn / at first light / first thing in the morning

electrician's test light; voltage tester

afternoon tea (light afternoon meal, typically pastries with tea or coffee)

to depend on / to comply with or listen to sb / according to / in the light of

(loanword) ether (hypothetical medium that transmits light waves)

(climatology) black carbon (BC) (light-absorbing carbonaceous particulate matter formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, biomass etc)

light bulb / see also 電燈泡｜电灯泡 / third-wheel or unwanted third party spoiling a couple's date (slang) / CL: 個｜个

to fall downward in a scattered, lightly sprinkled manner (as light, petals, leaves etc) / (literary) carefree and unrestrained; natural and elegant

signal light / car indicator

light weapon

electric light / CL: 盞｜盏

leading light / founding father / principal proponent / also written 元勳｜元勋

to reflect light

(of facts or truth) to become fully revealed; to come to light / (old) wine cup / (coll.) whiting (used in whitewash) / (coll.) (neologism, attested by 2020) healthcare worker in a full-body protective suit (from the white robot Baymax in Disney's "Big Hero 6", called "大白" in Chinese)

lighting / illumination / to light up / to illuminate

fish-belly white (used to describe the dingy light of the dawn sky)

incandescent light

to show in full light / to be revealed in its entirety

to throw (a projectile) / to cast (light)

to grow light (at daybreak)

fluorescent light

the foremost person of his age / unequalled / a leading light

ring of light; halo; (fig.) glory; splendor

street lamp / street light

(of a rumor etc) to collapse (in the light of facts etc) / to be discredited

rays of light / brilliant rays / radiance

the full light of day (idiom) / fig. peace and prosperity / in broad daylight

light and shadow / sunlight and shade

light carriage

the first light of dawn / (fig.) glimmer of hope after a dark period; a new beginning

light pollution

visible light / light in optical spectrum

face light up with delight (idiom); to beam with joy

fill light

to expose / to bring to light / to disclose / revelation

light source

drizzle; light rain / (fig.) mere trifle; sth that has only a weak effect

fluorescence; fluorescent light

slight / light / trivial / to a small extent

traffic light

light-year

to burn / to ignite / to light / fig. to spark off (hopes) / to start (debate) / to raise (hopes)

light (machinery, aircraft etc)

breeze / light wind

to illuminate / to light up / lighting

(coll.) leading light / superstar / badass / (coll.) higher-priced model of Lamborghini

lit. as the water recedes, the rocks appear (idiom) / fig. the truth comes to light

shallow / light (color)

small truck; light truck

to smear / to wipe / to erase / classifier for wisps of cloud, light-beams etc

the speed of light / (fig.) extremely quickly

to emit light; to shine; to glow; to glisten; to be luminous

light / beam of light / gleam of light / light reflected from an object

polarization of light / polarized light

to ignite / to light / fig. to spark off (hopes, controversy, flames of revolution)

to bask in the light / fig. to benefit from association with sb or sth / reflected glory

lit. the willow trees make the shade, the flowers give the light (idiom); at one's darkest hour, a glimmer of hope / light at the end of the tunnel

light beam

to light / to set off (firecrackers etc)

elated / light and airy feeling (after a few drinks) / smug and conceited / complacent

light energy (e.g. solar)

light as a goose feather (idiom); trifling / unimportant

photodiode / light-emitting diode (LED)

(idiom) to suddenly realize; to suddenly see the light

light refreshments / pastry / dim sum (in Cantonese cooking) / dessert

light-emitting diode / LED

light of firefly / firefly

light-sensitive

to reflect light / reflection / reflected light

traffic light / traffic signal

top scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system) / see 榜眼 and 探花 / top scorer in college entrance examination 高考 / (fig.) the most brilliantly talented person in the field / leading light

light beam / light pillar (atmospheric optics)

to dazzle / to offend the eyes / dazzling / harsh (light) / crude (colors) / unsightly

flashing light / indicator light

young and tender / (of food) tender; lightly cooked / (of color) light / (of a person) inexperienced; unskilled

lit. light furs and stout horses / fig. to live in luxury

backlighting; light coming from behind the subject (esp. in photography)

to light a cigarette

to expose (to the air, light etc) / to leave uncovered / exposure

light on one's feet / nimble / agile