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半信半疑

bàn xìn bàn yí

HSK 3.0 level 7-9 4-character word

半信半疑 (bàn xìn bàn yí) means "half doubting; dubious; skeptical". It is an HSK 3.0 level 7-9 word, and was not on the old six-level HSK list.

What 半信半疑 means

1. idiomhalf believing, half doubting; not quite convinced; skeptical

The characters in 半信半疑

• 半bànhalf; semi-; incomplete
• 信xìnletter; mail; to trust
• 半bànhalf; semi-; incomplete
• 疑yí(bound form) to doubt; to suspect

Example sentences

• 智慧高的人听闻「道」，会努力实践；中等智慧的人听闻「道」，会半信半疑；愚昧的人听闻「道」，则会嘲笑它。「道」若不被嘲笑，就称不上真正的道。
  Those of high wisdom, when they hear the "Way", strive to practice it; those of moderate wisdom, when they hear the "Way", are half-believing and half-doubting; the ignorant, when they hear the "Way", mock it. If the "Way" is not mocked, it cannot be called the true "Way".

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read bàn xìn bàn yí correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.