zung1忠
Definition
Loyal, faithful, and honest; can also refer to a good or righteous character in a story.
- loyal; faithful; sincere; dedicated
- good; righteous; heroic
How it's used
Often used to describe a person's unwavering dedication to a cause or employer, but it carries a slightly formal or old-fashioned weight in daily speech. It is most frequently encountered in the context of storytelling, such as distinguishing between the hero and the villain in traditional Chinese opera or period dramas. When describing someone who is simply honest or straightforward in a modern, casual sense, other terms like 老實 are far more common.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 忠心, which specifically refers to the feeling of loyalty towards a person or a master. Using 忠 to describe a person's personality in casual conversation can sound overly dramatic or like you are narrating a historical epic.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
