真 (zhēn): really, truly, indeed
真 (zhēn) is a Chinese character meaning “really.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 直 (structural) and 几 (structural). It ranks #204 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 真 a straight 直 (that is, level) table 几. Its radical form 目 (eye) appears in many related characters such as 看 (kàn, to look, to see), 着 (zhe, -ing, to wear), 睡 (shuì, to sleep).
Definitions
- really
- truly
- indeed
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA straight 直 (that is, level) table 几
Decomposition: ⿱直几 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 真 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 真
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 真正adjective/adverb | zhēn zhèng | genuine | 4 |
| 认真adjective | rèn zhēn | conscientious | 3 |
| 真相noun | zhēn xiàng | the truth about sth | 6 |
| 真实adjective | zhēn shí | true | 5 |
| 真诚adjective | zhēn chéng | sincere | 5 |
| 天真adjective | tiān zhēn | naive | 6 |
| 传真noun | chuán zhēn | to fax | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 真是interjection | zhēn shi | indeed |
| 真的adverb | zhēn de | really |
| 真心noun | zhēn xīn | wholeheartedness |
| 真理noun | zhēn lǐ | truth |
| 当真adverb | dàng zhēn | to take seriously |
| 真人noun | zhēn rén | a real person |
| 千真万确phrase | qiān zhēn wàn què | absolutely true (idiom) |
| 真面目 | zhēn miàn mù | true identity |
| 真主noun | zhēn zhǔ | Allah |
| 货真价实 | huò zhēn jià shí | (lit.) genuine goods at fair prices (idiom) |
| 纯真adjective | chún zhēn | innocent and unaffected |
| 清真寺noun | qīng zhēn sì | mosque |
| 真品 | zhēn pǐn | authentic piece |
| 铁木真proper-noun | tiě mù zhēn | Temujin, birth name of Genghis Khan 成吉思汗 |
| 真情noun | zhēn qíng | real situation |
真 appears in 103 compound words: 71 as the first character, 24 as the last, and 5 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 真 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
The lifestyle of people in your social circle is something I cannot easily comprehend.
(lit.) genuine goods at fair prices (idiom); (fig.) genuine; real; true
to turn simulation into reality unintentionally; fantasy becomes reality
real knowledge and deep insight; correct and penetrating views; to actually know and witness
(lit.) genuine goods at fair prices (idiom); (fig.) genuine; real; true
to turn simulation into reality unintentionally; fantasy becomes reality
The lifestyle of people in your social circle is something I cannot easily comprehend.
Showing 12 of 13 idioms containing 真.
Example Sentences
这个消息真是太好了，我简直不敢相信。
Zhè gè xiāoxi zhēnshi tài hǎo le, wǒ jiǎnzhí bù gǎn xiāngxìn.
This news is really great; I can hardly believe it.
明真相大陆民众新年感恩:大法师父好
míng zhēn xiāng dà lù mín zhòng xīn nián gǎn ēn : dà fǎ shī fù hǎo
The people of the mainland are grateful for the New Year: Hello Master Dafa
LUNA SEA官方公布鼓手真矢不敌病情离世 享年56岁
L U N A S E A guān fāng gōng bù gǔ shǒu zhēn shǐ bù dí bìng qíng lí shì xiǎng nián 5 6 suì
LUNA SEA officially announced that drummer Maya passed away at the age of 56
...春走基层·春节我在岗”这个春节,她的身影真美!
. . . chūn zǒu jī céng chūn jié wǒ zài gǎng zhè gè chūn jié , tā de shēn yǐng zhēn měi !
... Spring Grassroots, Spring Festival I am at work" This Spring Festival, her figure is so beautiful!
从“舞台秀”到“真干活”,北京卫视春晚机器人从“舞..
cóng wǔ tái xiù dào zhēn gān huó , běi jīng wèi shì chūn wǎn jī qì rén cóng wǔ . .
From "stage show" to "real work", Beijing TV Spring Festival Gala robot from "dance...
多连达真的回来了？！
Duō lián dá zhēn de huílai le?!
Did Dorenda really come back?!
您能把地图传真给我吗？
Nín néng bǎ dìtú chuánzhēn gěi wǒ ma?
Could you send me a map by facsimile?
真的吗？他是什么时候走的？
Zhēn de ma? tā shì shénme shíhou zǒu de?
Oh, really? When did he leave?
她真的很聪明，不是吗？
Tā zhēn de hěn cōngming, bùshìma?
She's really smart, isn't she?
"你真的想那样吗?" 小白兔问。
"nǐ zhēn de xiǎng nàyàng ma?" xiǎobáitù wèn.
"Do you really wish that?" asked the little white rabbit.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 真 (zhēn)?
Is 真 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 真 with real-time feedback
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