Chinese word

半真半假

Pronunciation

Pinyinbàn zhēn bàn jiǎ

Meaning

  • idiompartly true and partly false

Example

他的说法半真半假。tā de shuō fǎ bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ

His statement is partly true and partly false.

Illustration for 半真半假 (partly true and partly false)

More examples

网络上的信息常常半真半假，需要多方核实。wǎng luò shàng de xìn xī cháng cháng bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ xū yào duō fāng hé shí

Online information is often partly true and partly false, so it needs to be checked against multiple sources.

Core concept

Truth and falsehood occupy different parts of the same statement, so the whole message cannot be accepted without checking it.

Common phrases

  • 报道半真半假bào dào bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ

    a report that is partly true and partly false

  • 传闻半真半假chuán wén bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ

    a rumor that is partly true and partly false

Similar words

半信半疑bàn xìn bàn yí: Describes a state of believing something to some extent but not fully trusting it.
真真假假zhēn zhēn jiá jiǎ: Describes truth and falsehood appearing in a mixed and shifting way.
真假难辨zhēn jiǎ nán biàn: Describes a case where the truth cannot easily be distinguished from falsehood.
真伪不分zhēn wěi bù fēn: Describes a failure to distinguish what is real from what is false.

Definition in Chinese

形容一段话或一条信息里既有真实成分又有虚构、夸大或错误成分，无法全部采信。xíng róng yí duàn huà huò yì tiáo xìn xī lǐ jì yǒu zhēn shí chéng fèn yòu yǒu xū gòu kuā dà huò cuò wù chéng fèn wú fǎ quán bù cǎi xìn

Word origin

The idiom 半真半假 (bànzhēnbànjiǎ, "half true, half false") repeats 半 (bàn, "half") before the paired ideas 真 (zhēn, "true") and 假 (jiǎ, "false"), making a mixed account easy to picture.

Usage tips

  • This expression is useful when a speaker acknowledges some reliable content while warning that other details may be distorted or invented.

Other meanings

  • mixed truth and falsehoodidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word