Chinese word

认真

Pronunciation

Pinyinrèn zhēn

Meaning

  • adjectiveserious

Example

他对工作很认真。tā duì gōng zuò hěn rèn zhēn

He is very serious about his work.

Illustration for 认真 (serious)

More examples

她做事很认真。tā zuò shì hěn rèn zhēn

She does things very seriously.

Core concept

Putting steady attention and care into something instead of treating it as a quick or casual job.

Common phrases

  • 很认真hěn rèn zhēn

    very serious

  • 认真学习rèn zhēn xué xí

    study seriously

  • 做事认真zuò shì rèn zhēn

    do things seriously

Similar words

细心xì xīn: Noticing small details and handling tasks with care.
勤奋qín fèn: Showing steady effort and hard work in pursuit of a goal.
专心zhuān xīn: Focusing all attention on one task.

Definition in Chinese

对待事情严肃负责，注重细节，力求把任务做好。duì dài shì qíng yán sù fù zé zhù zhòng xì jié lì qiú bǎ rèn wù zuò hǎo

Word origin

In 认真 (rènzhēn, "serious"), 认 (rèn, "recognize") and 真 (zhēn, "true") combine to express treating something as genuine and handling it with care.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese, this adjective can describe a person's work habits or the way a person handles one task, so it does not always label a whole personality.

Other meanings

  • seriouslyadverb
  • carefullyadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 认真地rèn zhēn dìseriouslyadverb

Word lists with this word