真 (zhēn) — really, truly; real, true, genuine
Definition
The everyday 'really, truly' used directly before verbs or adjectives (我真喜欢你). Use it as an adjective ('real, genuine') with 的. Stronger/colloquial than 确实; 真正 is more formal and emphasises genuineness rather than emphasis.
reallytrulyrealtruegenuine
Easily confused
Examples
- 真！Zhè zhēn dà!This is really big!
- 真。Wǒ zhēn xǐ huan nǐ.I really like you.
- ？Zhè shì zhēn de ma?Is this real?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
Grammar
Appears in
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