‘清楚’ (qīng chǔ) is an adjective meaning 'clear' or 'distinct' — describing something easily perceived, understood, or seen. Literally, 清 means 'clear, pure', and 楚 means 'distinct, well-defined'; together they emphasize sharpness of perception or comprehension. It’s commonly used to describe clarity in speech, vision, thought, writing, or instructions — for example, when someone speaks clearly, a document is legible, or an idea is well-explained.

The word functions as a predicate adjective (e.g., 这个问题很清楚 — 'This question is very clear') or as a complement after verbs like 看、听、说、明白 (e.g., 听清楚了 — 'heard clearly'). It can also appear in the reduplicated form 清清楚楚 for emphasis, meaning 'very clearly'. Unlike some adjectives, it doesn’t require 很 before it in affirmative statements when used predicatively, though 很 is often added for nuance.