相信
to believe; to trust
xiāngxìn
What does 相信 mean?
相信 (xiāngxìn) is the verb 'to believe / to trust.' It takes a person or a statement as object: 我相信你 (I trust you), 我相信他说的话 (I believe what he said). Two distinctions matter for English speakers. First, 相信 is stronger than 'think' — don't use it to mean 'I believe (= think) it will rain.' For that opinion sense, use 觉得 (juéde) or 认为 (rènwéi).
相信 implies real conviction or trust in a person/claim. Second, 'believe in' (a religion, in someone's ability) is also 相信, but the religious sense 'believe in God' is usually 信 alone (信上帝). The character makeup is transparent: 相 (mutual) + 信 (trust / letter / believe) — 'mutually trust.' The negation is 不相信
Character breakdown
mutual; each other
to trust; believe; letter
Memory hook: 相 (mutual) + 信 (trust) — 'mutual trust' = to believe / trust.
Example sentences
我相信你。
Wǒ xiāngxìn nǐ.
I trust you.
neutral
他不相信这是真的。
Tā bù xiāngxìn zhè shì zhēn de.
He doesn't believe this is real.
neutral
要相信自己，你一定可以的。
Yào xiāngxìn zìjǐ, nǐ yídìng kěyǐ de.
Believe in yourself — you can definitely do it.
spoken
我相信他说的话。
Wǒ xiāngxìn tā shuō de huà.
I believe what he said.
neutral
对不起，我真的很难相信。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ zhēn de hěn nán xiāngxìn.
Sorry, I really find it hard to believe.
spoken
Common phrases with 相信
Synonyms
信 alone also means 'to believe / trust' but feels more abrupt and is often used for religion or short emphatic statements (我不信 = 'I don't buy it'). 相信 is the standard polite/neutral form in most sentences.
Don't confuse 相信 with
相同 means 'the same / identical.' Same first character 相, but the meaning is unrelated. 我们的想法相同 = 'our ideas are the same'; 我相信他 = 'I trust him.'
信 alone can mean 'letter' (a written message) as well as 'believe.' 写信 = 'write a letter'; 相信 = 'to believe.' Context distinguishes.
信任 means 'trust' specifically (often as a noun: 'I have trust in him'). 相信 is closer to 'believe.' You 相信 a statement; you 信任