诚 chéng — sincere · English

诚

chéng

sincere

At a glance · 诚

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「诚」从言成声，小篆从言成声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「诚」本义为诚实、真诚，引申确实、实在。

Structure

从言、成声，形声字，言表言语义类，成表音兼表成就实意。

At a glance

Pinyinchéng

Radical讠

Strokes8

UnicodeU+8BDA

Character type形声

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English sincere sincere, honest; true, real

Français sincère Sincère, vrai. «笃初诚美» : la sincérité est belle.

Español sincero Sincero, verdadero. «笃初诚美»: la sinceridad es bella.

العربية مخلص مخلص، حقيقي. «笃初诚美»: الإخلاص جميل.

Русский искренний Искренний, истинный. «笃初诚美»: искренность прекрасна.

Common words

诚实chéng shíhonest
真诚zhēn chéngsincere

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