[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Character-Traits # 信 xìn confidence, trust; letter ## Components [[亻(rén)]] [[言 yán]] ## Meaning In modern Chinese, "信" is used to mean: 1. **Faithfulness/Honesty**: Its original meaning, representing integrity and truthfulness. 2. **To believe/Trust**: Used to express belief or trust in someone or something. 3. **To follow/Obey**: Extended meaning, indicating to follow or obey someone or something. It is also used as a noun to refer to agreements, certificates, letters, etc. For example, "诚信" (chéngxìn) means integrity, and "信件" (xìnjiàn) means letter or correspondence. The idiom "信马由缰" (xìn mǎ yóu jiāng) means to loosen the reins and let the horse go as it pleases, metaphorically indicating letting things take their natural course. ## History The character "信" (xìn) originally meant to be faithful and honest. It was depicted in ancient bronze inscriptions as a compound ideogram, with the left part representing a person and the right part representing a mouth, indicating that words spoken by a person should be kept true, reflecting the meaning of "信" - faithfulness and honesty. As time passed, "信" expanded to include integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[信 xìn - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[信 xìn - bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[信 xìn - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[信 xìn - cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[信 xìn - reg.svg]]