Chinese word

信

Pronunciation

Pinyinxìn

Meaning

  • verbbelieve

Example

我信你说的话。wǒ xìn nǐ shuō de huà

I believe what you say.

Illustration for 信 (believe)

More examples

我不太信广告。wǒ bú tài xìn guǎng gào

I do not really trust advertisements.

Core concept

A dependable connection runs from a speaker to a listener, whether the words are accepted in the mind or carried in writing.

Common phrases

  • 信朋友xìn péng yǒu

    trust friends

  • 不信广告bú xìn guǎng gào

    not trust advertisements

Similar words

相信xiāng xìn: Believe a person, statement, or idea to be true or reliable.

Definition in Chinese

相信某人的话或某个判断，心里认为属实或可靠，也可指对人的信赖。xiāng xìn mǒu rén de huà huò mǒu gè pàn duàn xīn lǐ rèn wéi shǔ shí huò kě kào yě kě zhǐ duì rén de xìn lài

Word origin

信 (xìn, "believe; trust; letter") is formed from 人 (rén, "person") plus 言 (yán, "speech"), making a person's spoken word the link between trust and a letter.

Usage tips

  • For the written-message sense, 写信 (xiě xìn, "write a letter"), 收信 (shōu xìn, "receive a letter"), and 一封信 (yì fēng xìn, "one letter") provide clear clues.

Other meanings

  • trustverb
  • letternoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word