天真
tiānzhēn · HSK 4
innocent
👶 天 (sky/heaven) + 真 (true/real) = heaven-true, untouched by the world
Compound of 天 (heaven, sky) and 真 (true, genuine). Someone who is heaven-true retains an unspoiled, honest nature — hence naive or innocent. Often used for childlike sincerity, sometimes with a hint of being too trusting.
天 — 一 (one/sky) above 大 (big person)
Originally a pictograph of a person (大) with an emphasized head, representing what is above — the sky or heavens. The top stroke evolved into 一, symbolizing the vast expanse overhead. From 'sky' it extended to mean 'day,' 'heaven,' and 'nature.'
真 — 匕 (spoon) over 目 (eye) over 八 (eight/base)
真 originally depicted a person or vessel used in ritual, conveying the idea of something genuine or true. Over time the form was reanalyzed as components like 匕, 目, and a base, but the core meaning of 'real, true, genuine' has remained stable since early bronze inscriptions.