Taxonomy of meanings for 誠:　　

  • 誠 chéng (OC: djeŋ MC: dʑiɛŋ) 是征切 平 廣韻：【審也敬也信也 】
    • personal>EARNEST
      • nab(.post-N)psychtruthfulness to oneself; ardent earnestness of attitude
      • vadVearnestly and sincerely
      • viactbe earnest; be true to oneself; live up to one's innermost aspirations
      • vtoNcausativecause to be earnest; cause to be true to oneself
      • vifeaturebe earnest; be true to oneselfCH
      • nab.post-NN=nonhumanthe authenticity (of Heaven and earth)CH
      • vtoNpassivebe earnestly practisedLZ
      • GENUINE
        • vadNgenuine
        • nab(.post-N)authenticity, genuine commitnmentCH
      • linguistic>TRUE
        • nsubjectwhat is true, true statements; genuine true opinion, honest opinion and truth
        • nabmetaphysicaltruth; the truth
        • vadNtruthful (of words)
        • vibe truthful
        • vistativebe rightCH
        • philosophical>OBJECTIVE
          • vadNobjective and not only based on subjective perception
        • grammaticalised: really>REALITY
          • nabmetaphysicalthe real state of affairs; one's real inner state; one's real convictions
          • vadN{PRED}in truth; really
          • vadVin truth, truly, really
          • subordinating: if really>IF
            • vadV.postN{SUBJ}:adSconditionalif really, if truly
            • vadV.adSconditionalif really, if in truthLZ
            • vadS1.adS2if in truthCH
        • social>FAITHFUL
          • nabpsychtrustiness, genuine devotion
          • vibe genuinely trusty
        • moral>ASPIRATION

      Additional information about 誠

      說文解字: 【誠】，信也。从言、成聲。 【氏征切】

        Criteria
      • REALITY

        1. The current word referring to reality is shí 實 (ant. xū 虛 "pretended reality"), but the word acquired this meaning rather late (meaning "object" in earlier texts).

        2. Qíng 情 (ant. wěi 偽 "fake") and chéng 誠 (ant. zhà 詐 "fraudulent") are often used interchangeably to refer to the real facts versus what is pretended or what is merely superficial.

        3. Zhēn 真 (ant. jiǎ 假 "faked") refers to the genuine inner state of something, the ultimate truth about it.

      • IF

        誠 "if really, if 'to the full'" is an emphatic conditional particle suggesting the problematic nature of the fulfilment of the condition.

      • TRUE

        1. The most current word is rán 然 "it is so" (ant. fǒu 否 "be untrue"), and what is said to be so is a yán 言 "statement', and things are claimed to be as stated in that statement.

        2. Kě 可 refers to logical or ethical acceptability.

        3. Xìn 信 (ant. zhà 詐 "fraudulent and not reliable") refers prototypically to reliablity as information.

        4. Shì 是 (ant. fēi 非 "wrong") refers prototypically to what invites assent or approval.

        5. Zhēn 真 (ant. jiǎ 假 "fake") typically refers to what contains nothing faked or unreal and is genuinely true.

        6. Dāng 當 (ant. guò 過 "wrong") refers prototypically to what fits the facts and does not deviate.

        7. Yǒu 有 (ant. wú 無 "there is no such fact")refers abstractly to the occurrence of an event or the truth of an abstract proposition.

        8. Chéng 誠 (ant. wěi 偽 "faked") refers to honest truth. (Note that chéng 誠 normally means "earnest" in early texts and has nothing to do with this meaning.)

        9. Shí 實 "real and true" (ant. xū 虛 "only apparently") refers to something not being a figment of the imagination. See REAL.

      • EARNEST

        1. The current standard word for earnestness in attitude and earnest effort in practice is chéng 誠 (ant.* màn 慢 "negligent").

        2. Dǔ 篤 refers to trusty earnestness under the special aspect of dependability.

        3. Liàng 諒 refers to sincerity of attitude as a moral virtue.

        4. Zhōng 衷 refers to earnestness as an inner attitude under the aspect of emotional genuineness, a moral earnestness which will move Heaven.

      • CHEAT

        1. The standard common word for cheating is qī 欺 (ant. chéng 誠 ) and it refers to any deliberate act of deception, self-interested or not, even occasionally self-deception.

        2. Zhà 詐 (ant. què 愨 "honest") is a fraudulent act of cheating designed to harm the interests of others.

        3. Wěi 偽 (ant. zhēn 真 "true, unfaked") is dissumulation and pretense, not necessarily with an intent to harm others.

        4. Guǐ 詭 and jué 譎 (all ant. zhèng 正 "straight and not deceitful") are dishonesty with an intent to deceive and harm others.

        5. Wū 誣 is to deliberately mislead someone through lying.

        6. Dàn 誕 is to deceive through boastful exaggeration. See EXAGGERATE

        7. Mán 謾 refers primarily to the speaking without being serious about what one says.

        NB: There is an extraordinary wealth of rare vocabulary of possibly colloquial origin within this field.

      • FAITHFUL

        1. The current general word for trustiness or good faith is xìn 信.

        2. Chéng 誠 adds to the notion of good faith that of earnestness of effort on behalf of those one is faithful to.

        3. Zhōng 忠 refers to a selfless effort on behalf of the person to whom one takes oneself to owe loyalty, and this person may be either a ruler or a friend.

        4. Zhēn 貞 refers to sturdy moral reliability based on inner conviction.

        5. Shí 實 is occasionally used to refer to reliability of a person's actual performance of duties, particularly to a person's reliability in relation to promises made.

        6. Què 愨 is a rare archaic word referring to trustiness and stolid loyalty as a psychological quality.

        7. Liàng 諒 refers to trustworthiness and fidelity in a more popular mode, sometimes (LY) even with negative overtones of blind faith.

        Word relations
      • Epithet: (GENUINE)天意/PLAN
      • Contrast: (IF)苟 / 茍/IF
      • Assoc: (EARNEST)精 / 菁/EXCELLENT Jīng 精 (of general application) (ant. cū 粗 "of only rough quality") and ruì 銳(typically applied to military prowess) (ant. dùn 鈍 "of lesser quality") refer to above-average performance without suggestion individual excellence.
      • Assoc: (EARNEST)精 / 菁/EXCELLENT Jīng 精 (of general application) (ant. cū 粗 "of only rough quality") and ruì 銳(typically applied to military prowess) (ant. dùn 鈍 "of lesser quality") refer to above-average performance without suggestion individual excellence.
      • Assoc: (EARNEST)純/PURE The standard general term for purity is chún 純 (ant. zá 雜 "mixed").
      • Assoc: (FAITHFUL)信/FAITHFUL The current general word for trustiness or good faith is xìn 信.
      • Synon: (REALITY)實/REALITY The current word referring to reality is shí 實 (ant. xū 虛 "pretended reality"), but the word acquired this meaning rather late (meaning "object" in earlier texts).