正经 (zhèng jing) — proper, decent, honorable (of a person's character or behavior); serious, earnest (of an attitude or manner)
Definition
正经 describes a person’s character or behavior as proper and decent (e.g. won't lie), or an attitude as serious and earnest — more about moral propriety than 认真 (conscientious in effort) or 正式 (formal in setting).
adjective
properdecenthonorable (of a person's character or behavior)seriousearnest (of an attitude or manner)
Examples
- 正经，。Zhè ge rén hěn zhèng jing, bú huì shuō huǎng.This person is very proper; they wouldn't lie.
- 正经，。Tā kàn qǐ lái bú zhèng jing, dà jiā dōu bú xìn rèn tā.He looks shady, and no one trusts him.
- 。Wǒ men xiān tán zhèng jing shì ba.Let's talk about serious matters first.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.