將信將疑

Chinese

		a general; (will, shall, "future tense"); ready a general; (will, shall, "future tense"); ready; prepared; to get; to use	letter; true; to believe letter; true; to believe; sign; evidence	a general; (will, shall, "future tense"); ready a general; (will, shall, "future tense"); ready; prepared; to get; to use	to doubt; to misbelieve; to suspect
trad. (將信將疑)		將	信	將	疑
simp. (将信将疑)		将	信	将	疑

Etymology

First attested in the mid-8^th century, in Dirge on an Ancient Battlefield by Li Hua:

生也何恩？殺之何咎？其存其歿，家莫聞知。人或有言，將信將疑。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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生也何恩？杀之何咎？其存其殁，家莫闻知。人或有言，将信将疑。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: circa 740s, 李華,《弔古戰場文》(On an Old Battle-field), translated by H. A. Giles

Shēng yě hé ēn? Shā zhī hé jiù? Qí cún qí mò, jiā mò wénzhī. Rén huòyǒu yán, jiāng xìn jiāng yí. [Pinyin]

They owe no thanks for life, for what have they done to deserve death? They may be alive or dead the family knows it not. And if one brings the news, they listen, half doubting, half believing.

Note that the coordinate structure 將…將… can be traced back to the first anthology of Chinese poetry, The Classic of Poetry.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiāngxìn-jiāngyí

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄤ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄤ ㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zoeng¹ seon³ zoeng¹ ji⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiāngxìn-jiāngyí
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄤ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄤ ㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiangsìnjiangyí
    • Wade–Giles: chiang¹-hsin⁴-chiang¹-i²
    • Yale: jyāng-syìn-jyāng-yí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiangshinnjiangyi
    • Palladius: цзянсиньцзянъи (czjansinʹczjanʺi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ɕin⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ i³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zoeng¹ seon³ zoeng¹ ji⁴
    • Yale: jēung seun jēung yìh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzoeng¹ soen³ dzoeng¹ ji⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: zêng¹ sên³ zêng¹ yi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sœːŋ⁵⁵ sɵn³³ t͡sœːŋ⁵⁵ jiː²¹/

Idiom

將信將疑

1. to take with a pinch of salt; to be doubtful; to be not quite convinced

   • 夫曰親中國，朝鮮之所信者也；曰結日本，朝鮮之所將信將疑者也；曰聯美國，則朝鮮之所深疑者也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     夫曰亲中国，朝鲜之所信者也；曰结日本，朝鲜之所将信将疑者也；曰联美国，则朝鲜之所深疑者也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1880, 黃遵憲 (Huang Zunxian),《朝鮮策略》(Strategies on Korea)

     Fú yuē qīn Zhōngguó, Cháoxiān zhī suǒ xìn zhě yě; yuē jié Rìběn, Cháoxiān zhī suǒ jiāngxìnjiāngyí zhě yě; yuē lián Měiguó, zé Cháoxiān zhī suǒ shēn yí zhě yě. [Pinyin]

     It is something the Koreans trust to say ‘be close to China’; it is something the Koreans are not quite convinced to say ‘ally with Japan’; and it is something the Koreans are deeply suspicious of to say ‘unite with the United States’.

Synonyms

• 半信半疑 (bànxìn-bànyí)