brighten up A. intransitive verb 1. (cheer up) «person» 高兴起来 gāoxìng qilai ; «face» 露出喜色 lùchū xǐsè ; «eyes» 发亮 fāliàng 2. (become clearer) 放晴 fàngqíng 3. (improve) «situation» 好转 hǎozhuǎn B. transitive verb[brighten up something, brighten something up] 1. (make brighter) «decorations» 使…生色 shǐ… shēngsè ‹room, garden›2. (uplift, invigorate) 使…活跃起来 shǐ… huóyuè qilai ‹occasion, conversation›3. (make bright, shiny) 使…发亮 shǐ… fāliàng ‹surface›