HSK 6 · Ideas

实事求是 shíshìqiúshì “to be practical and realistic” in Chinese

Traditional 實事求是

What 实事求是 means

  1. to be practical and realistic
  2. to seek truth from facts
  3. lit. to seek truth from facts (idiom)
  4. fig. to be practical and realistic

How to say 实事求是

  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale实shí2nd tone, rising
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale事shì4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale求qiú2nd tone, rising
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale是shì4th tone, falling

实事求是 in a sentence

  1. 做事要实事求是，不要夸大。

    Zuòshì yào shíshìqiúshì, búyào kuādà.

    Be realistic in what you do; don’t exaggerate.

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 实事求是地说，这个方案还有很多问题。

    Shíshìqiúshì de shuō, zhè ge fāng'àn hái yǒu hěn duō wèntí.

    To be honest, this plan still has a lot of problems.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 实事求是 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 实 (shí) with each of its parts in a different colour
实shíreal
  • 宀roof · mián
  • 头head · tóu

Memory aidSimplified from 實, a house 宀 full of strings of coins: solid, real.

The character 事 (shì) with each of its parts in a different colour
事shìmatter
  • 一one · yī
  • 口mouth · kǒu
  • 彐snout · jì
  • 亅hook · jué
The character 求 (qiú) drawn as one shape
求qiúto seek

求 is a single shape of 7 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidTraditionally said to show a fur coat, now written 裘 (qiú); some scholars see a centipede instead. Today 求 means “to ask for”.

The character 是 (shì) with each of its parts in a different colour
是shìto be
  • 日sun · rì
  • 疋roll of cloth · pǐ

How to write 实事求是

实 8 strokes · 事 8 strokes · 求 7 strokes · 是 9 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

实事求是 (shíshìqiúshì) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 实事求是 (shíshìqiúshì). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 实事求是

Words with 实

其实qíshí · actually诚实chéngshí · honest实际shíjì · actual确实quèshí · indeed实在shízài · really实际上shíjìshàng · in fact果实guǒshí · fruit (of a plant)实话shíhuà · truth实现shíxiàn · to achieve结实jiēshi · sturdy

Words with 事

事shì · matter没事méishì · it’s nothing事情shìqing · matter同事tóngshì · colleague故事gùshi · story从事cóngshì · to engage in人事rénshì · personnel军事jūnshì · military affairs事实shìshí · fact事物shìwù · thing

Words with 求

要求yāoqiú · to request请求qǐngqiú · to request征求zhēngqiú · to solicit追求zhuīqiú · to pursue (a goal)求qiú · to seek力求lìqiú · to strive to谋求móuqiú · to seek需求xūqiú · demand急于求成jíyúqiúchéng · too eager for success精益求精jīngyìqiújīng · to strive for perfection

Words with 是

是shì · to be但是dànshì · but总是zǒngshì · always还是háishi · or只是zhǐshì · only可是kěshì · but是否shìfǒu · whether (or not)要是yàoshi · if于是yúshì · thereupon就是jiùshì · exactly

More words: Ideas & Concepts

事迹shìjì · deed事件shìjiàn · event实力shílì · strength使命shǐmìng · mission事态shìtài · situation失误shīwù · mistake事项shìxiàng · matter视野shìyě · field of vision

FAQs

实事求是 (shíshìqiúshì) means “to be practical and realistic” or “to seek truth from facts”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it shíshìqiúshì: shí with a 2nd tone, then shì with a 4th tone, then qiú with a 2nd tone, then shì with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 实事求是 is written 實事求是. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type shishiqiushi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 实事求是 from the suggestions. Typing shishiqiushi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
实事求是 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.