Meaning of 诚实
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- honest
How to use 诚实
诚实 describes a person's character or behavior, and it often appears after 很 or in the phrase 诚实的人. It can also work as a noun-like quality, as in 诚实很重要. Example: 他是一个很诚实的孩子。(Tā shì yí gè hěn chéngshí de háizi.) He is a very honest child.
诚 (chéng) has the speech radical 讠 plus 成 (chéng), so think of words that are complete and sincere. 实 (shí) means real or solid, so 诚实 is speech that is sincere and real: honest.
Common mistake: Learners often write 城 (chéng, city) instead of 诚, since both use 成. Remember that honesty is about speech, so 诚 takes the speech radical 讠, not the earth radical 土.
诚实 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
诚 chéng · honest · 8 strokes
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实 shí · real · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 诚实.
| 实在 | shízài | really; actually |
| 实现 | shíxiàn | to achieve; to implement; to realize; to bring about |
| 实际 | shíjì | reality; practice |
| 实习 | shíxí | to practice; field work |
| 其实 | qíshí | actually; in fact; really |
| 确实 | quèshí | indeed; really |
| 事实 | shìshí | fact |
| 事实上 | shìshíshang | in fact; in reality |
| 实际上 | shíjìshàng | in fact; in reality |
| 真实 | zhēnshí | true; real |
| 现实 | xiànshí | reality; actuality; real; actual |
| 实验室 | shíyànshì | laboratory |
Questions about 诚实
What does 诚实 mean?
诚实 (chéngshí) means "honest" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 诚实?
诚实 is made of 2 characters: 诚 (8 strokes), 实 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 诚实 an HSK word?
Yes. 诚实 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 诚实 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 诚实 is written 誠實.
What is the difference between 诚实 and 老实?
诚实 means truthful and not deceiving others. 老实 (lǎoshi) can also mean honest, but it often suggests simple, well-behaved, or even naive, and 说老实话 means 'to be frank'.
How do I say 'to be honest' at the start of a sentence?
Chinese speakers usually say 说实话 (shuō shíhuà) or 老实说 (lǎoshi shuō), not 诚实地说. For example: 说实话，我不太喜欢这个电影。(Shuō shíhuà, wǒ bú tài xǐhuan zhège diànyǐng.) To be honest, I don't really like this movie.