shi (实) — real, solid, true, actual in Chinese

simplified

traditional

shí

real · solid · true · actual · fruit · substance

HSK 2 笔画 8 部首宀 (roof) 声调第二声 (rising) all shi readings →

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

实 shí is an associative compound: the roof 宀 (mián) holds the meaning of a dwelling, and the lower element fills that dwelling with goods. The picture lives most clearly in the traditional form 實, where the roof 宀 sits over 貫 (guàn), a string of cowrie shells, the old image of wealth strung together. A house packed with strung cowries is a house full of substance: hence solid, substantial, real. The simplified form 实 keeps the same roof but replaces the wealth below with 头, a written shorthand that no longer paints the cowries yet preserves the sense of a full dwelling. The simplified 实 and traditional 實 are one character, the everyday shape on the mainland and the classical shape in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

From a house full of goods, four senses fan out:

1. Real, true. What is actually there, not empty or feigned: 真实 zhēnshí (real), 事实 shìshí (fact), 实话 shíhuà (the truth), 实在 shízài (honestly; really).
2. Solid, substantial. Full rather than hollow, sturdy rather than flimsy: 结实 jiēshi (sturdy), 充实 chōngshí (substantial; enriched), 实心 shíxīn (solid-cored).
3. Actual practice. The real world where things get done, as against mere theory: 实际 shíjì (actual), 实践 shíjiàn (practice), 实现 shíxiàn (to realize), 实验 shíyàn (experiment).
4. Fruit, seed. The full, ripened thing a plant yields: 果实 guǒshí (fruit), and the verb sense of a plant bearing fruit.

The thread through every sense is fullness as opposed to emptiness. 实 is the standing opposite of 虚 xū (empty, void) and 空 kōng (hollow): wherever 虚 names what is hollow, feigned, or merely theoretical, 实 names what is full, genuine, and put into practice.

构词 gòucí Word-Formation Patterns

构词规律 gòucí guīlǜ · A Full House 实 as real / true → 真实 real · 事实 fact · 实话 the truth · 实在 honestly · 确实 indeed
实 as actual / practical → 实际 actual · 实践 practice · 实现 to realize · 实验 experiment · 实习 internship
实 as solid / substantial → 结实 sturdy · 充实 substantial · 实心 solid-cored · 踏实 grounded
实 as fruit → 果实 fruit · 硕果 rich harvest

真实 zhēnshí Real & True

真实 zhēnshí real; true; authentic

ADJ 形容词 xíngróngcí

真 zhēn (true) + 实 shí (real). Real in the sense of genuine and not fabricated: 真实的故事 "a true story," 真实情况 "the actual situation." Its opposite is 虚假 xūjiǎ (false; fake).

这是一个真实的故事。

Zhè shì yí ge zhēnshí de gùshi.

This is a true story.

事实 shìshí fact; the way things actually are

N 名词 míngcí

事 shì (matter; affair) + 实 shí (real). A fact: a matter that is actually the case, independent of opinion. 事实证明 "the facts prove," 摆事实 "to lay out the facts."

事实证明他是对的。

Shìshí zhèngmíng tā shì duì de.

The facts prove he was right.

实话 shíhuà the truth; honest words

N 名词 míngcí

实 shí (true) + 话 huà (words; speech). Words that match the facts, plainly told: 说实话 "to tell the truth," also a set phrase "to be honest." Its opposite is 假话 jiǎhuà (a lie).

说实话，我不太喜欢。

Shuō shíhuà, wǒ bú tài xǐhuan.

To be honest, I don't really like it.

实在 shízài really; honestly; (of a person) down-to-earth

ADJ 形容词 xíngróngcí

实 shí (real) + 在 zài (to be present). As an adverb it intensifies: 实在太累了 "I'm really exhausted." As an adjective it describes someone solid and unpretentious: 这个人很实在 "this person is genuine and reliable."

我实在不知道怎么办。

Wǒ shízài bù zhīdào zěnme bàn.

I really don't know what to do.

实际 shíjì Actual & Practical: from Theory to Practice

语义洞见 yǔyì dòngjiàn · Semantic Insight

A whole family of high-frequency words pairs 实 with the idea of the real world where action happens. 实际 shíjì is the actual state of affairs as opposed to the abstract or the hoped-for. 实践 shíjiàn is practice, the doing that tests an idea against reality. 实现 shíxiàn is to make real, to turn a plan or a dream into an accomplished fact: 实现梦想 "to realize a dream." 实验 shíyàn is the experiment, the controlled test that lets reality answer a question. Across all of them, 实 carries the same charge: the empty or the merely imagined is brought down to the solid ground of what actually is.

The contrast that organizes this family is 理论 vs. 实践, theory versus practice, and 实际 vs. 事实, the actual versus the factual. The note below sorts those two near-twins.

实际 shíjì actual; real; practical; reality

ADJ 形容词 xíngróngcí

实 shí (real) + 际 jì (juncture; situation). The actual state of things as opposed to the theoretical: 实际情况 "the actual situation," 实际上 "actually, in fact." Of a person, 很实际 means practical and realistic.

实际情况比我们想的复杂。

Shíjì qíngkuàng bǐ wǒmen xiǎng de fùzá.

The actual situation is more complicated than we thought.

辨析 biànxī · 实际 vs. 事实事实 shìshí is a single concrete fact, a discrete thing that is the case ("it is a fact that..."). 实际 shíjì is the whole actual situation taken together, often set against theory or expectation. You report 一个事实 (one fact); you act according to 实际 (the real circumstances). 实际上 means "as a matter of fact"; you cannot swap in 事实上 everywhere, though they overlap.

实践 shíjiàn practice; to put into practice

V/N 动名词 dòngmíngcí

实 shí (actual) + 践 jiàn (to tread; to carry out). The doing that turns an idea into action and tests it against reality: 理论与实践 "theory and practice," 实践证明 "practice has proven."

实践是检验真理的标准。

Shíjiàn shì jiǎnyàn zhēnlǐ de biāozhǔn.

Practice is the criterion for testing truth.

实现 shíxiàn to realize; to bring about; to achieve

V 动词 dòngcí

实 shí (real) + 现 xiàn (to appear; to manifest). To make something real, to turn a plan, goal, or dream into an accomplished fact: 实现目标 "to achieve a goal," 实现梦想 "to make a dream come true."

他终于实现了自己的梦想。

Tā zhōngyú shíxiàn le zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng.

He finally realized his dream.

结实 jiēshi Solid & Substantial

结实 jiēshi sturdy; durable; (of a body) strong and solid

ADJ 形容词 xíngróngcí

结 jiē (to bear fruit; to form) + 实 shi (solid). Built to last, not flimsy: 这张桌子很结实 "this table is very sturdy." Of a person it means strongly built: 身体结实 "physically robust." Note the toneless reading jiēshi here, distinct from 结 jié elsewhere.

这双鞋很结实，穿了三年。

Zhè shuāng xié hěn jiēshi, chuān le sān nián.

These shoes are very durable; I've worn them for three years.

充实 chōngshí substantial; enriched; full (of a life or content)

ADJ 形容词 xíngróngcí

充 chōng (to fill) + 实 shí (full; substantial). Filled to fullness, with nothing hollow: 生活很充实 "a full, rewarding life." As a verb it means to enrich or strengthen: 充实内容 "to flesh out the content."

退休后他的生活很充实。

Tuìxiū hòu tā de shēnghuó hěn chōngshí.

After retiring, his life is full and rewarding.

果实 guǒshí fruit; the fruits (of labor)

N 名词 míngcí

果 guǒ (fruit) + 实 shí (the ripened, full thing). The fruit a plant bears, and by extension the rewards of effort: 劳动的果实 "the fruits of labor." This is the seed-and-fruit sense of 实 made explicit.

秋天树上结满了果实。

Qiūtiān shù shàng jiē mǎn le guǒshí.

In autumn the trees are laden with fruit.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases

实事求是 shí shì qiú shì to seek truth from facts: to be realistic and base judgments on reality Lit: real-matters-seek-the-truth. Originally from the Book of Han, praising a prince who loved learning grounded in evidence. It became a watchword for pragmatism: decide by what the facts actually show, not by wishful thinking.

名副其实 míng fù qí shí the name matches the reality: worthy of the name, living up to its reputation Lit: name-matches-its-substance. Said when a thing genuinely is what it is called. Its opposite is 名不副实, where the name is grander than the reality behind it.

脚踏实地 jiǎo tà shí dì feet planted on solid ground: down-to-earth, steady and practical Lit: feet-tread-solid-ground. High praise for someone who works steadily and realistically rather than chasing empty schemes. The 实 here is the solid earth underfoot.

货真价实 huò zhēn jià shí genuine goods at a fair price: the real thing, no fakery Lit: goods-genuine-price-real. A merchant's pledge that the wares are authentic and honestly priced. By extension it certifies anything as the genuine article, not a counterfeit or an exaggeration.

记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

Picture a house, the roof 宀 across the top, and inside it strings of cowrie shells piled high: a dwelling full to the rafters with real wealth. That full house is 实. Nothing about it is hollow, feigned, or merely talked about. The goods are actually there.

Hold that fullness and every sense follows. A full account of events is the truth (真实, 事实). A full house is solid and sturdy, not flimsy (结实, 充实). A plan carried all the way into the full house of the real world is realized (实现, 实践). And the full, ripened thing a plant yields is its fruit (果实). Whenever you meet 实, set it against its empty twin 虚: 实 is the room that is full, 虚 the room that is bare.