honest
HSK level
诚实 is written with 16 strokes (诚: 8, 实: 8). The animation replays automatically.
诚实 (chéngshí) is an adjective meaning 'honest' — telling the truth and not deceiving others.
It describes a person's character or behavior: 他是个诚实的人 ('he is an honest person'), 诚实地回答 ('answer honestly'). The characters mean 'sincere and real.' English speakers should note that 诚实 is specifically about truthfulness and not lying; it does not extend to 'honest' in the sense of 'frank/candid' about opinions — that is 坦率 (tǎnshuài) or 直率 (zhíshuài).
诚实 carries a clear moral, praising weight, so calling someone 诚实 is complimenting their integrity. It is neutral in register and appears in moral education, character descriptions, and everyday judgments. As a virtue it is often paired with 守信 ('keeping one's word') in the phrase 诚实守信.
Note: Neutral to slightly positive/moral in tone. Describing a person as 诚实 is genuine praise of their character; it is common in both speech and writing.
Character by character
Memory hook: 诚 (sincere) + 实 (real): sincere and real — honest.
他是一个很诚实的孩子。
Tā shì yí gè hěn chéngshí de háizi.
He is a very honest child.
neutral
请你诚实地告诉我发生了什么。
Qǐng nǐ chéngshí de gàosu wǒ fāshēngle shénme.
Please honestly tell me what happened.
spoken
做人要诚实，不能说谎。
Zuòrén yào chéngshí, bùnéng shuōhuǎng.
One should be honest and not tell lies.
neutral
诚实是最重要的品质之一。
Chéngshí shì zuì zhòngyào de pǐnzhì zhī yī.
Honesty is one of the most important qualities.
written
老实 also means 'honest,' but adds 'well-behaved / naive / meek,' and can even hint that someone is a pushover. 诚实 is purely about truthfulness with no connotation of being timid or simple.
真诚 ('sincere') is about heartfelt genuineness in feelings and intentions. 诚实 is specifically about not lying. Someone can be 真诚 (warm and genuine) in a slightly different way than being 诚实 (truthful).
老实 can mean honest but also 'docile / naive.' Use 诚实 when you specifically mean truthful; 老实 can carry an unintended 'gullible' shade.
诚恳 means 'sincere / earnest' in manner and attitude (a sincere apology). 诚实 is about telling the truth. They share 诚 but describe different qualities.
Acquire it by listening
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