清真 (qīng zhēn) — Islamic; often used to mean halal (food permiss… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

清真 (qīngzhēn) means 'halal' — used for Islamic food, restaurants, and mosques (清真寺). The literal meaning ('pure/true') is historical; in modern Chinese it almost always signals Muslim dietary or religious practice.

noun

Islamicoften used to mean halal (food permissible under Islamic law)

Examples

清真。
Zhè jiā qīng zhēn cān tīng de suǒ yǒu ròu lèi dōu jīng guò rèn zhèng.
All the meat in this halal restaurant is certified.
。
Tā men měi zhōu wǔ qù qīng zhēn sì zuò lǐ bài.
They go to the mosque every Friday to pray.
清真。
Chāo shì lǐ zhuān mén yǒu yí gè qīng zhēn shí pǐn qū.
The supermarket has a dedicated halal food section.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

清 means pure and 真 means true, giving a sense of purity and truth.

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.

氵青清

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng清qīng

Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

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

貝貝bèicowrie; shell

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠂈

𠂈𠂈真zhēn

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

真 pairs 貝 (cowrie shell, used for the meaning) with 𠂈, which gave the sound and originally drew a headlong fall.

Appears in

HSK 2.0 Level 6

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.