Explanation of "我叫李明。" in Chinese:

"我叫李明。" is a basic sentence used to introduce oneself, meaning "My name is Li Ming." Let’s break it down:

我 (Wǒ)

Meaning "I" or "me," the first-person singular pronoun.

叫 (Jiào)

Literally "to be called" or "to be named," used here to state one's name (a common structure for self-introduction in Chinese).

李明 (Lǐ Míng)

A typical Chinese name: 李 (Lǐ) is the surname (last name), and 明 (Míng) is the given name (first name). In Chinese, surnames usually come first, followed by given names.

Tone and usage:

Neutral and straightforward, suitable for both formal and informal situations. It’s the most common way to introduce oneself in daily conversations. For a slightly more polite tone, you can add 是 (shì, am) at the beginning: 我是李明。 ("I am Li Ming.")

Example:

When meeting someone for the first time: 你好，我叫李明，很高兴认识你。 ("Hello, my name is Li Ming. Nice to meet you.")