信赖 (xìn lài) — to trust, to have confidence in

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liánhéSide by side

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

信xìntrust
赖làirely

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.

Open 信 →

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.

Open 赖 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Attitudes & Opinions

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