HSK · Level 3
131 words
Chinese word
老实说
Pronunciation
Pinyinlǎo shí shuō
Meaning
- adverbhonestly
Example
老实说，我不知道他在哪儿。lǎo shí shuō wǒ bù zhī dào tā zài nǎr
Honestly, I don't know where he is.
More examples
老实说，你应该早点告诉我。lǎo shí shuō nǐ yīng gāi záo diǎn gào sù wǒ
Honestly, you should have told me earlier.
Core concept
A plainspoken frame that puts the speaker's unfiltered view before the main statement.
Common phrases
老实说，我不太赞成这个观点lǎo shí shuō wǒ bú tài zàn chéng zhè ge guān diǎn
honestly I don't really agree with this view
老实说，我更愿意听她的解释lǎo shí shuō wǒ gèng yuàn yì tīng tā de jiě shì
honestly I would rather hear her explanation
Similar words
说实话shuō shí huà: Signals that the following words give an honest view or the truth.
坦白说tǎn bái shuō: Signals an open, frank disclosure of facts or personal feelings.
Definition in Chinese
用于引出说话人的真实观点或感受，语气较直接，常放在句首或作为插入语，有时带有坦白或不加修饰的意味。yòng yú yǐn chū shuō huà rén de zhēn shí guān diǎn huò gǎn shòu yǔ qì jiào zhí jiē cháng fàng zài jù shǒu huò zuò wéi chā rù yǔ yǒu shí dài yǒu tǎn bái huò bù jiā xiū shì de yì wèi
Word origin
老 (lǎo, "old") + 实 (shí, "real") describes someone as honest and unpretentious, and 说 (shuō, "speak") turns that description into a phrase introducing frank words.
Usage tips
- Its effect depends strongly on tone: a calm voice signals candor, while a sharp voice can make the same opening sound like criticism.
Other meanings
- franklyadverb
Related words
- 老实lǎo shíhonestadjective
- 老实人lǎo shí rénhonest personnoun
- 老实话lǎo shí huàhonest wordsnoun