果真

• Pinyin: guǒ zhēn
• Hanzi breakdown: 果 = 木 (tree) + 田 (field) — ripe fruit that confirms growth; 真 = 匕 (transform) + 目 (eye) + 八 (divide) — seeing the true form of things

Meaning

Indeed; truly; as expected — used to confirm that something turned out exactly as anticipated or feared.

Functions as both an adverb (confirming a result: 'it truly was the case') and a conjunction (conditional: 'if indeed it turns out that...'). Carries a sense of the speaker's hypothesis being validated. More literary than 果然, often appearing in written or semi-formal speech.

Examples

1. 他果真没有食言，如约出现在了约定的地点。 He really did keep his word and showed up at the agreed location as promised.
2. 传言果真属实，该公司已宣布正式破产。 The rumor turned out to be true: the company has officially declared bankruptcy.
3. 果真如你所说，这项政策将给数百万人带来直接影响。 Just as you said, this policy will have a direct impact on hundreds of thousands of people.

Usage Guide

Context: confirmation, narrative, analysis, formal writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 调查结果出来后，大家的担忧果真得到了证实。(After the investigation results came out, everyone's concerns were indeed confirmed.)
• 果真有这样的政策出台，受益者将不计其数。(If there truly is such a policy introduced, the number of beneficiaries will be enormous.)

Don't Say

• 我果真不知道 — 果真 confirms anticipated outcomes; for simple denial of knowledge say 我确实不知道 or 我真的不清楚

Origin & History

果 (result, indeed) + 真 (true, real)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal