诚信 (chéng xìn) — honest, trustworthy, having integrity | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Refers to honest and trustworthy conduct, especially in business and dealings with others — a broader, more virtue-like quality than 诚实 (which is simply 'truthful').

adjective

honesttrustworthyhaving integrity

Examples

诚信，。
Tā zuò shēng yi hěn chéng xìn, cóng bú piàn rén.
He is very honest in business and never cheats people.
诚信。
Zhè jiā gōng sī yì zhí jiān chí chéng xìn jīng yíng.
This company has always insisted on operating with integrity.
诚信。
chéng xìn Shì zhōng huá mín zú de chuán tǒng měi dé.
Integrity is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

诚chéngsincere

诚信 combines 诚 (sincere) and 信 (trust) as parallel qualities of honesty.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 誠; 诚 is its simplified writing.

言成誠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánspeech

Sound part声符shēngfú

成

成chéng誠chéng

Same sound today

In 誠, 言 is the speech part and 成 gives the sound; this is about the traditional form 誠, not the simplified 诚.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Personality & Traits

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