Definition
老实 has two related meanings: (1) honest, sincere, straightforward—a positive character trait; (2) naive, gullible—a negative sense of being too trusting. Compare with 天真 (innocent, childlike, often positive) and 规矩 (well-behaved, following rules). The positive sense is close to 憨厚, but 老实 is broader and more common in everyday speech.
adjective
honestsincerestraightforwardnaivegullible
Easily confused
- 老师lǎo shīsound-aliketeacher
- 老是lǎo shìsound-alikealways (used for annoying or undesirable repeated actions)
Examples
- 老实，。lǎo shi shuō, wǒ bú tài xǐhuan zhège diànyǐng.Frankly speaking, I don't really like this movie.
- 老实，。Tā zhège rén hěn lǎo shi, cónglái bù shuō huǎng.He is a very honest person; he never lies.
- 老实，。Nǐ tài lǎo shi le, biérén piàn nǐ nǐ dōu bù zhīdào.You are too naive; others cheat you and you don't even know.
Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.