证明 (zhèngmíng) — to prove; proof; certificate

证明 (zhèngmíng)

证明 is both the act of proving something through reasoning or evidence and a formal document that certifies a fact, making it a versatile word in legal, academic, and everyday administrative contexts.

Meanings

1. [verb] to prove; to demonstrate; to certify
2. [noun] proof; certificate; certification document

Example Sentences

他的成功证明了努力终将得到回报。 Tā de chénggōng zhèngmíng le nǔlì zhōng jiāng dédào huíbào. His success proves that hard work will eventually be rewarded.

你需要提供收入证明才能申请贷款。 Nǐ xūyào tígōng shōurù zhèngmíng cái néng shēnqǐng dàikuǎn. You need to provide proof of income to apply for a loan.

实验结果证明了这一假设的正确性。 Shíyàn jiéguǒ zhèngmíng le zhè yī jiǎshè de zhèngquèxìng. The experimental results proved the correctness of this hypothesis.

无法证明某人有罪，就应假定其无罪。 Wúfǎ zhèngmíng mǒu rén yǒuzuì, jiù yīng jiǎdìng qí wúzuì. If you cannot prove someone is guilty, you should presume them innocent.

他向银行出示了身份证明文件。 Tā xiàng yínháng chūshì le shēnfèn zhèngmíng wénjiàn. He showed the bank his identity verification document.

历史证明，封闭的国家很难实现持续发展。 Lìshǐ zhèngmíng, fēngbì de guójiā hěn nán shíxiàn chíxù fāzhǎn. History proves that closed countries find it difficult to achieve sustained development.

Collocations

Usage Notes

证明 has two distinct grammatical functions. As a verb it means "to prove" and is followed by a clause or noun phrase. As a noun it means "proof" or "certificate" and is frequently found in administrative contexts (开证明, to get a certificate; 出示证明, to present a certificate).

In academic and argumentative writing the structure [事实/研究/数据] + 证明 + [conclusion] is very common, similar to 表明 (biǎomíng) but with a stronger sense of definitive proof.

Memory Hook

证 (to certify/verify) + 明 (to clarify/make clear): certifying something until it is perfectly clear -- to prove.