'报名' (bào míng) literally combines 报 (bào), meaning 'to report' or 'to announce', and 名 (míng), meaning 'name'. Together, they form a verb meaning 'to sign up' or 'to register' — essentially 'to report one’s name' for an activity, event, course, or service. It is commonly used in formal and semi-formal contexts such as enrolling in classes, joining competitions, signing up for workshops, or registering for exams.

The word functions as a transitive verb and typically appears before the object (e.g., 报名参加比赛 — 'sign up to join the competition') or with aspect particles like 了 or 过 (e.g., 我已经报名了 — 'I’ve already signed up'). It is neutral in register — appropriate for spoken and written Chinese — and widely understood across age groups and regions. Unlike some English verbs, 报名 is rarely used without an implied or explicit purpose (e.g., you wouldn’t say *报名* alone; you’d say 报名学中文 or 报名旅行团).