信赖 (xìn lài) — to trust, to have confidence in | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

信赖 (xìnlài) is a more formal 'to trust / have confidence in' — stronger and more committed than 相信, and about reliance on a person rather than belief in a fact.

verb

to trustto have confidence in

Examples

信赖。
Wǒ wán quán xìn lài nǐ de pàn duàn.
I fully trust your judgment.
信赖。
Tā men hù xiāng xìn lài duō nián le.
They have trusted each other for many years.
信赖，。
Nǐ rú guǒ bú xìn lài wǒ, nà wǒ yě méi yǒu bàn fǎ.
If you don't trust me, then there's nothing I can do.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

信 (trust) and 赖 (rely) form a close pair: to trust someone and rely on them.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánwords

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén信xìn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賴; 赖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowry

Sound part声符shēngfú

剌

剌là賴lài

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賴 uses 貝 (a cowry) for profit and 剌 for the sound; the simplified 赖 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Attitudes & Opinions

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