信任 (xìnrèn)

信任 means to have confidence in someone's reliability, honesty, or ability, and can describe both the act of trusting and the relationship of trust itself.

Meanings

[verb] To trust, to have confidence in, to rely on (someone's character or ability).
[noun] Trust, confidence, faith (in a person or institution).

Example Sentences

多年的合作让双方建立了深厚的互信关系，信任是这段伙伴关系的基石。 Duō nián de hézuò ràng shuāngfāng jiànlì le shēnhòu de hùxìn guānxi, xìnrèn shì zhè duàn huǒbàn guānxi de jīshí. Years of cooperation have built a deep relationship of mutual trust; trust is the cornerstone of this partnership.

她之所以愿意分享这些私密信息，是因为她完全信任眼前这个人。 Tā zhī suǒyǐ yuànyì fēnxiǎng zhèxiē sīmì xìnxī, shì yīnwèi tā wánquán xìnrèn yǎnqián zhège rén. The reason she was willing to share this private information is that she completely trusts the person in front of her.

一旦信任被破坏，重建起来往往需要比最初建立更长的时间。 Yīdàn xìnrèn bèi pòhuài, chóngjiàn qǐlái wǎngwǎng xūyào bǐ zuìchū jiànlì gèng cháng de shíjiān. Once trust is broken, rebuilding it often takes longer than establishing it in the first place.

公众对这家机构的信任度正在逐渐下降，原因是接连不断的丑闻。 Gōngzhòng duì zhè jiā jīgòu de xìnrèndu zhèngzài zhújiàn xiàjiàng, yuányīn shì jiēlián bùduàn de chǒuwén. Public confidence in this institution is gradually declining due to a series of unrelenting scandals.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
建立信任	to build trust
赢得信任	to earn trust
失去信任	to lose trust
信任度	level of trust
相互信任	mutual trust

Usage Notes

信任 is more formal and weighty than 相信 (to believe). 相信 means to believe something is true (我相信他说的 — I believe what he says), while 信任 relates to trusting a person's character or reliability (我信任他这个人 — I trust him as a person). 信任感 (sense of trust) and 信任度 (degree/level of trust) are useful derived forms.

Memory Hook

信 means "trust/letter/honesty" and 任 means "to entrust/rely on" — when you entrust yourself to someone based on their honesty, you have 信任.