Chinese word

诚实

Pronunciation

Pinyinchéng shí

Meaning

  • adjectivehonest

Example

诚实的人不会说谎。chéng shí de rén bú huì shuō huǎng

An honest person does not lie.

Illustration for 诚实 (honest)

More examples

在面试中诚实可以让面试官更信任你。zài miàn shì zhōng chéng shí ké yǐ ràng miàn shì guān gèng xìn rèn nǐ

Being honest in an interview can make the interviewer trust you more.

Core concept

A steady match between what someone knows, says, and does, making that person trustworthy.

Common phrases

  • 在面试中诚实zài miàn shì zhōng chéng shí

    honest in an interview

  • 对老师诚实duì lǎo shī chéng shí

    honest with one's teacher

Similar words

老实lǎo shí: Sincere and plain in manner, avoiding tricks and usually following rules or others' direction.
正直zhèng zhí: Principled and fair-minded, following a sense of right and wrong in speech and actions.

Definition in Chinese

说话和做事遵从事实，不撒谎也不夸大，表现出可靠的真实态度。shuō huà hé zuò shì zūn cóng shì shí bù sā huǎng yě bù kuā dà biǎo xiàn chū kě kào de zhēn shí tài dù

Word origin

The compound 诚实 (chéngshí, "honest") is formed from 诚 (chéng, "sincere") + 实 (shí, "real"), linking a sincere attitude with facts that are genuine.

Usage tips

  • The word presents truthfulness as a reliable character trait, so it does not by itself mean that a speaker is rude, harsh, or socially careless.

Other meanings

  • sincereadjective
  • frankadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 诚实守信chéng shí shǒu xìnhonest and trustworthyidiom
  • 诚实地chéng shí dìhonestlyadverb

Word lists with this word