真心

• Pinyin: zhēn xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 真 = 十 + 目 + 八 (genuine/true); 心 = 心 (heart — the seat of feeling and intention)

Meaning

Sincerity; a genuine heart. True feelings or honest intentions, as opposed to pretence or flattery.

Can function as a noun (真心话 — words from the heart) or an adverb (真心感谢 — genuinely thankful). Widely used across contexts from friendship to professional sincerity.

Examples

1. 她是真心希望每一个人都能过得幸福。 She genuinely hopes everyone can live a happy life.
2. 朋友之间最重要的是真心相待，彼此坦诚。 What matters most between friends is treating each other sincerely and being honest.
3. 他的道歉是出于真心，绝非应付了事。 His apology was sincere; it wasn’t just to brush things off.

Usage Guide

Context: personal, friendship, professional

Tone: sincere

Do Say

• 我是真心感谢你长期以来对我的支持与帮助。(I am genuinely grateful for your long-standing support and help.)
• 他真心希望这个项目能够顺利推进并取得成功。(He sincerely hopes the project will proceed smoothly and succeed.)

Don't Say

• 我真心的喜欢你 — the 的 after 真心 used as an adverb is redundant and sounds unnatural; use 我真心喜欢你 or 我是真心喜欢你的

Origin & History

真 (true/genuine) + 心 (heart/mind)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal