Chinese word

天真

Pronunciation

Pinyintiān zhēn

Meaning

  • adjectiveinnocent

Example

她很天真，什么都信。tā hěn tiān zhēn shén me dōu xìn

She is very innocent and believes everything.

Illustration for 天真 (innocent)

More examples

她有点天真，容易相信别人。tā yóu diǎn tiān zhēn róng yì xiāng xìn bié rén

She is a little naive and easily believes others.

Core concept

An open, unguarded mind that meets people and the world with childlike trust and curiosity.

Common phrases

  • 一副天真的样子yí fù tiān zhēn de yàng zi

    an innocent look

  • 有点天真yóu diǎn tiān zhēn

    somewhat naive

  • 很天真hěn tiān zhēn

    very innocent

Similar words

单纯dān chún: Having uncomplicated thoughts and feelings without calculating personal advantage.

Definition in Chinese

性格单纯、没有恶意或心机，常表现出孩子般的直率和好奇。xìng gé dān chún méi yǒu è yì huò xīn jī cháng biǎo xiàn chū hái zi bān de zhí shuài hé hǎo qí

Word origin

The compound 天 (tiān, "natural; heaven") + 真 (zhēn, "true; genuine") evokes a genuine nature untouched by calculation.

Usage tips

  • For adults, 天真 (tiānzhēn, "innocent") can sound warmly admiring when it highlights openness, but it can also suggest poor judgment when the context stresses inexperience.

Other meanings

  • naiveadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 天真烂漫tiān zhēn làn màninnocent and carefreeidiom

Word lists with this word