忠誠 / 忠诚
zhōngchéng
In Chinese, 'loyal' is expressed as 忠誠 / 忠诚 (zhōngchéng). If unsure, use 忠誠 / 忠诚. Wiktionary also lists 忠貞 / 忠贞 (zhōngzhēn) and 忠實 / 忠实 (zhōngshí).
Meaning: firm in allegiance to a person or institution (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 忠誠 / 忠诚 | zhōngchéng |
| 忠貞 / 忠贞 | zhōngzhēn |
| 忠實 / 忠实 | zhōngshí |
The term 'loyal' refers to being firm in allegiance to a person or institution.
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to express different types of loyalty. 忠誠 / 忠诚 is the standard term for loyalty toward a person, a country, a cause or an institution. 忠貞 / 忠贞 is used specifically to describe faithfulness in romantic relationships or steadfastness in one's moral principles. 忠實 / 忠实 is used for being faithful to an original source, such as a translation or to describe a loyal follower. Finally, the slang term 死忠粉 (sǐ zhōng fěn) is used to mean a 'loyal fan'.
How do you pronounce it?
zhōngchéng
Did you know?
- The word 粉 (fěn) in the slang term 死忠粉 (sǐzhōngfěn) literally means 'powder' or 'flour', but here it functions as a shorthand for 'fans'.
- The first character in 忠誠, 忠, is a compound of 'middle' 中 and 'heart' 心. It visually represents the idea that true loyalty is having a heart that is centered and steady.
- In ancient Chinese philosophy, 忠 was not just about obedience but about 'doing one's best' for others. It was considered a reciprocal virtue where the superior must also be virtuous to earn the loyalty of the subordinate.
Examples in context
- 他是一位忠诚的朋友。He is a loyal friend.
- 公司职员对忠实的员工表示钦佩。The company employees admire the loyal worker.
- 他是我的忠心耿耿的朋友。He is my loyal friend.
- 她是这个明星的死忠粉。She is a loyal fan of this celebrity.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “loyal” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
