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真情 (zhēn qíng) — the real situation, the truth (of a matter); genuine feelings, true emotion

Definition

真情 covers two distinct senses: 'true emotion/sincerity' (paired with 真心 as feelings, not facts) and 'the real truth of a matter' (overlapping with 真相/实话 — these name facts, while 真情 names what is genuinely felt or truly the case).

noun
the real situationthe truth (of a matter)genuine feelingstrue emotion

Examples

  • 真情。
    Tā zhōng yú shuō chū le zhēn qíng.
    He finally told the truth.
  • 真情。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng chōng mǎn le zhēn qíng.
    This movie is full of genuine emotion.
  • 真情。
    Huàn nàn zhī zhōng jiàn zhēn qíng.
    True feelings are seen in times of hardship.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

真zhēntrue
情qíngfeeling

真 and 情 combine as a real feeling or real situation, giving genuine emotion or 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.

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.

Open 真 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

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