威信

• Pinyin: wēi xìn
• Hanzi breakdown: 威 = 戌 (weapon) + 女 (woman) — authority through force; 信 = 人 (person) + 言 (speech) — a person whose words can be trusted

Meaning

Authority and credibility; prestige; standing. The combination of power and trustworthiness that gives a person genuine influence.

Refers to the earned respect and authority that a leader, institution, or expert commands — not through force, but through demonstrated competence and integrity. Losing 威信 is a serious matter in Chinese social and political culture. A person with high 威信 leads through respect; one without it struggles to be followed even with formal power.

Examples

1. 连续几次决策失误严重损害了他在团队中的威信。 Several consecutive bad decisions seriously damaged his authority and credibility within the team.
2. 这位法官以公正著称，在法律界享有极高的威信。 This judge is known for impartiality and commands extremely high prestige in the legal community.
3. 领导者的威信不是靠职位获得的，而是通过长期的行动积累的。 A leader's authority is not obtained through title, but accumulated through long-term action.

Usage Guide

Context: leadership, politics, law

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 一个领导者的威信建立在公正与诚信的基础之上。(A leader's prestige is built on a foundation of fairness and integrity.)
• 这起丑闻让政府的威信大打折扣。(This scandal has significantly undermined the government's credibility and authority.)

Don't Say

• 将威信与威望混用 — 威信 emphasises the combination of authority (威) and trustworthiness (信); 威望 emphasises reputation and prestige from others' high regard; they overlap but are not identical

Origin & History

Compound of 威 (might, authority) and 信 (trust, credibility). Together: the combination of authority and trustworthiness — prestige earned through both power and integrity.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal