相信
xiāngxìn
To believe in Chinese is to say 相信 (xiāngxìn).
The verb 相信 is used when you accept a person, a statement or a fact as being true.
Meaning: to accept as true (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 相信 is used for believing a person or a fact, the word 信任 is used for a deeper sense of trusting someone's character or reliability.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate a completed action or a change in state regarding belief, the aspect particle 了 can be added after the verb to form 相信了, meaning 'believed'.
How do you pronounce it?
xiāngxìn
Did you know?
- The character 信 (xìn) is composed of 'person' 人 and 'speech' 言. This suggests that true belief is found when the words spoken by a person are consistent and reliable.
- To express 'I can't believe it' in a shocked way, speakers often use the phrase 不敢相信 (bù gǎn xiāngxìn). The word 敢 literally means 'to dare', implying the speaker does not dare to let the belief enter their mind.
- The word 信 (xìn) is used in the term 'credit' in financial contexts, such as in 'credit card' (信用卡), linking belief to financial reliability.
Examples in context
- 你别相信他。Don't believe him.This sentence is useful for practicing how to tell someone not to believe a person.Tatoeba #1750369 by sadhen, translation #2898333 by migl
- 我相信爱情。I believe in love.This sentence is useful for expressing belief in a concept like love.Tatoeba #5613718 by verdastelo9604, translation #3822918 by CK
- 我不能相信。I can't believe it.This sentence is useful for expressing an inability to believe something.Tatoeba #5617198 by verdastelo9604, translation #1887115 by CK
- 我相信这个决定是正确的。I believe this decision is correct.
- 我们应该相互信任。We should trust each other.
- 我相信你能做到！I believe you can do it!
- 我相信明天会更好。I believe tomorrow will be better.
- 你要相信自己的能力。You need to believe in your abilities.
- 174 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junji tells Zihan some surprising news about a coworker.
- 梓涵 Zihan你听说了吗？他辞职了。Nǐ tīngshuō le ma? Tā cízhí le.Did you hear? He resigned.
- 俊杰 Junjie真的吗？我简直不敢相信。Zhēn de ma? Wǒ jiǎnzhí bùgǎn xiāngxìn.Really? I can hardly believe it.
- 梓涵 Zihan我是认真的，大家都相信是真的。Wǒ shì rènzhēn de, dàjiā dōu xiāngxìn shì zhēn de.I am serious, everyone believes it is true.
- 俊杰 Junjie太意外了。Tài yìwài le.That is so unexpected.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “believe” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
