信赖

• Pinyin: xìn lài
• Hanzi breakdown: 信 = 亻 + 言 (trust); 赖 = 束 + 贝 (rely/depend)

Meaning

To trust; to rely on. To have complete confidence in someone or something based on established experience.

More formal and deeper than 信任 (trust). 信赖 implies a well-established, long-term reliance built through experience. Common in professional and literary contexts.

Examples

1. 多年来，她一直是我最信赖的同事，从未让我失望。 For many years, she has been the colleague I trust most and has never let me down.
2. 消费者对这个品牌的信赖源于其始终如一的产品质量。 Consumers’ trust in this brand comes from its consistently high product quality.
3. 孩子对父母的信赖是建立安全感的重要基础。 A child’s trust in their parents is an important foundation for a sense of security.

Usage Guide

Context: relationships, business, psychology

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 我们彼此信赖，合作十年未出现过重大分歧。(We trust each other and have had no major disagreements in ten years of cooperation.)
• 建立可信赖的形象需要长期一致的行为。(Building a trustworthy image requires long-term consistent behaviour.)

Don't Say

• 信赖一个陌生人 without context — 信赖 implies established trust; use 信任 for initial trust extended to a stranger

Origin & History

信 (trust) + 赖 (rely on/depend)

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal