信

Stroke order

信 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+7, 9 strokes, cangjie input 人卜一口 (OYMR), four-corner 2026₁, composition ⿰亻言)

• 㜃, 𭡩, 𪲼, 𰟁, 𬒘, 𠒷, 𧪄, 𬦿, 𣣢, 𪝮, 𦴩, 𫠻

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 105, character 25
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 707
• Dae Jaweon: page 224, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 165, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4FE1

Historical forms of the character 信
Small seal script   s01702   s01703 Transcribed ancient scripts   L36438   L36439   L36440   L36441   L36442   L21999   L22000   L22001   L22002   L22003   L22004   L22005   L22006   L22007   L22008   L22009   L22010   L22011   L22012   L22013   L22014   L22015   L22016   L22017   L22018   L22019   L22020   L22021   L22022   L22023   L22024
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) and phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hljins) : phonetic 人 (OC *njin, “person”) + semantic 言 (“word”).

Schuessler (2007) reconstructs the Old Chinese minimally as *sin and suggests possible derivation from 允 (OC *winʔ, “to trust; to be true”).

Alternatively, Sagart and Baxter (2012) reconstruct *s-niŋ-s (*s-ni[ŋ]-s in Baxter and Sagart, 2014) and suggest a derivation from 仁 (OC *niŋ, “kind”) with the prefix *s-, probably used to increase its valency.

信

1. true; accurate; verifiable
2. truly; indeed

   • 信可樂也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     信可乐也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 353 CE, Wang Xizhi, Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion

     Xìn kě lè yě. [Pinyin]

     Truly, what an enjoyable occasion it was!

3. trustworthy
4. to believe; to trust in something

   我才不信呢。  ―  Wǒ cái bù xìn ne.  ―  I don't believe it/you.

   信任  ―  xìnrèn  ―  to trust

5. to believe in (a faith); to be religious in

   我父親信佛教。／我父亲信佛教。  ―  Wǒ fùqīn xìn fójiào.  ―  My father is a Buddhist. (lit. My father believes in Buddhism.)

   • 這人來，為要作見證，就是為光作見證，叫眾人因他可以信。 [MSC, trad.]
     这人来，为要作见证，就是为光作见证，叫众人因他可以信。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 約翰福音 (John) 1:7

     Zhè rén lái, wèi yào zuò jiànzhèng, jiù shì wèi guāng zuò jiànzhèng, jiào zhòngrén yīn tā kěyǐ xìn. [Pinyin]

     The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

6. trust; confidence; faith

   因信稱義／因信称义  ―  yīn xìn chēngyì  ―  to be justified by faith

   • 祢用重價救贖我，使我脫離罪惡河，叫我這不配的人憑信得救。 [MSC, trad.]
     祢用重价救赎我，使我脱离罪恶河，叫我这不配的人凭信得救。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2009, 磐石現代樂團 [Music Stone], lyrics by 謝鴻文 [Steve Hsieh], 讓我 [Let Me]

     Mí yòng zhòngjià jiùshú wǒ, shǐ wǒ tuōlí zuì'è hé, jiào wǒ zhè bùpèi de rén píng xìn déjiù. [Pinyin]

     Allowing me, this unworthy person, to be saved by faith.

7. at will

   信口雌黃／信口雌黄  ―  xìnkǒu cíhuáng  ―  to make irresponsible remarks (lit. to correct someone with at will)

8. letter (written communication) (Classifier: 封 m c mn)
9. message; information; news

   信息  ―  xìnxī  ―  message

10. evidence

    信物  ―  xìnwù  ―  token, keepsake

11. courier; messenger
12. Short for 信州 (Xìnzhōu).
13. (mineralogy) Short for 信石 (xìnshí, “arsenolite”).
14. a surname: Xin

• (true):

• (to believe):

• (to believe in a faith): 信仰 (xìnyǎng)
• (letter):

• (message):

• (information):

• (evidence):

• (courier): 信使 (xìnshǐ)
• (arsenolite): 砒霜 (pīshuāng), 信石 (xìnshí)

Others:

• → Vietnamese: tin

Via 假借 (jiǎjiè, “borrowing”).

信

1. Alternative form of 申 (shēn, “to express; to state”)

   • 《春秋》貴義而不貴惠，信道而不信邪。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     《春秋》贵义而不贵惠，信道而不信邪。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Guliang, circa 206 BCE– 9 CE

     “Chūnqiū” guì yì ér bù guì huì, shēn dào ér bù shēn xié. [Pinyin]

     The Spring and Autumn Annals treasure deeds of righteousness rather than the dispensation of favour, and advocate the just principles instead of corrupt ways.

2. Alternative form of 伸 (shēn, “to extend”)

   • 尺蠖之屈，以求信也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

     Chǐhuò zhī qū, yǐ qiú shēn yě. [Pinyin]

     An inchworm contracts, so that it may extend.

3. Alternative form of 身 (“body”)

• “信”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: しん (shin, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: しん (shin, Jōyō)
• Nanori: し (shi)、しが (shiga)、しな (shina)、しの (shino)、しぶ (shibu)、とき (toki)、のび (nobi)、のぶ (nobu)、まこと (makoto)

信(しん) • (shin) 

1. trust, faith

   信(しん)を置(お)く、信(しん)を得(え)る

   shin o oku, shin o eru

   to put one's trust (in something), to gain someone's trust

• 信(しん)じる (shinjiru), 信(しん)ずる (shinzuru): to believe; to trust; to believe in

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɕʰi(ː)n]
• Phonetic hangul: [신(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

 

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

信

Wikisource

信 (eumhun 믿을 신 (mideul sin))

1. hanja form^? of 신 (“believe; trust”)

• 신용 (信用, sinyong)

信: Hán Nôm readings: tín, tin

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

• Nom Foundation