自信 (zìxìn) — confident / confidence

HSK 4 | adjective / noun | confident; self-confident; confidence

自信 (zìxìn)

自信 means having confidence in oneself, or the quality of self-confidence.

Meanings

  1. [adjective] confident; self-confident
  2. [noun] self-confidence; confidence

Example Sentences

她在舞台上表现得非常自信。 Tā zài wǔtái shàng biǎoxiàn de fēicháng zìxìn. She performed very confidently on stage.

你要对自己有自信。 Nǐ yào duì zìjǐ yǒu zìxìn. You need to have confidence in yourself.

成功能给人带来自信。 Chénggōng néng gěi rén dài lái zìxìn. Success can give people confidence.

他缺乏自信,不敢开口说话。 Tā quēfá zìxìn, bù gǎn kāikǒu shuōhuà. He lacks confidence and does not dare to speak up.

Collocations

Collocation Meaning
有自信 (yǒu zìxìn) to be confident; to have confidence
充满自信 (chōngmǎn zìxìn) full of confidence
缺乏自信 (quēfá zìxìn) to lack confidence
自信心 (zìxìnxīn) sense of self-confidence

Usage Notes

自信 can be used predicatively (他很自信) or as a noun (他有自信). The compound 自信心 emphasizes the inner sense of confidence. Be aware that 骄傲 (jiāo'ào) means "arrogant" or "proud," which is different from 自信. True 自信 is seen as a positive trait, while excessive pride crosses into 骄傲.

Memory Hook

自 (self) + 信 (to believe/trust) — to be confident is simply to believe in yourself.