zan1 gaa2真假

Jyutpingzan1 gaa2

Yalejān gá

名詞Uncommon

Definition

True and false; truth and falsity; the quality of being real or fake.

neutraldescriptionscommunication

How it's used

Often used in abstract contexts to discuss the authenticity of information or claims rather than physical objects. It frequently appears in four-character idioms or fixed phrases like 真假難辨 to emphasize the difficulty of discerning the truth. When describing a mix of truth and lies, the phrase 真假參半 is the standard idiomatic expression.

Examples

le1呢gin2件si6事zan1真gaa2假naan4難bin6辨，nei5你dim2點tai2睇aa4呀？

It is hard to tell if this is true or false, what do you think?

keoi5佢gong2講ge2嘅je5嘢zan1真gaa2假caam1參bun3半，m4唔hou2好zeon6盡seon3信。

What he said is half-true and half-false, do not believe it entirely.

Common phrases

zan1真gaa2假naan4難bin6辨

hard to distinguish between true and false

zan1真gaa2假caam1參bun3半

half-true and half-false

Common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse this with 係唔係真, which is a question about whether something is true. 真假 is a noun phrase representing the concept of truth versus falsehood, so it functions as the object of a verb like 辨別 or 判斷, not as a direct question.