实 shí — real; true; honest; really; solid
他是个老实的人。Tā shì ge lǎo shi de rén.He is an honest person.
Common words: 实现 (shí xiàn)、实在 (shí zài)、实际 (shí jì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "true"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "true", including 实 (shí), 信 (xìn), 真 (zhēn), 诚 (chéng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "true" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 实 (shí), 信 (xìn), 真 (zhēn), 诚 (chéng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shí, xìn, zhēn, chéng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 实 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 实 shíreal; true; honest; really; solidUseful words: 实现, 实在
- 信 xìnletter; true; to believe; sign; evidenceUseful words: 相信, 信息
- 真 zhēnreal; true; genuineUseful words: 真的, 认真
- 诚 chénghonest; sincere; trueUseful words: 诚实, 诚信
Common words for these 4 "true" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 实 (shí) — so "true" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
实现shí xiànto achieve; to implement; to realize; to bring about实在shí zàireally; actually; indeed; true实际shí jìreality; practice; practical; realistic相信xiāng xìnto believe; to be convinced; to accept as true信息xìn xīinformation; news; message信号xìn hàosignal真的zhēn dereally; truly; indeed; real认真rèn zhēnconscientious; earnest; serious; to take seriously真正zhēn zhènggenuine; real; true; really诚实chéng shíhonest
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "true".
信 xìn — letter; true; to believe; sign; evidence
我收到了一封朋友的信。Wǒ shōu dào le yì fēng péng you de xìn.I received a letter from a friend.
Common words: 相信 (xiāng xìn)、信息 (xìn xī)、信号 (xìn hào)
真 zhēn — real; true; genuine
这个消息是真的吗？Zhè ge xiāo xi shì zhēn de ma?Is this news true?
Common words: 真的 (zhēn de)、认真 (rèn zhēn)、真正 (zhēn zhèng)
诚 chéng — honest; sincere; true
做人要诚实，不能说谎。Zuò rén yào chéng shí, bù néng shuō huǎng.One should be honest and not tell lies.
Common words: 诚实 (chéng shí)、诚信 (chéng xìn)、真诚 (zhēn chéng)
All 4 characters
Open 实、信、真 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.