A Quiz On Chinese Homophones That You Don’t Want to Get Confused

Analysis:

A. 成 (Chéng): When “成 (chéng)” is used as a noun, it means “success”, or “accomplishment”, and normally pairs with “就 (jiù)”, hence “成就 (chéngjiù)”, which means success. When it is used as a verb, it means “become” or “turn into”, hence “成真 (chéngzhēn)”, which means “realize”.

B. 城 (Chéng): Used as a noun, and normally pairs with “市 (shì)”. Hence “城市 (chéngshì)”, which means city.

C. 诚 (Chéng): Used as an adjective, and means “honest” or “sincere”, and is often paired with “实 (shí)”. Hence “诚实 (chéngshí)”, which means “honesty”.

    Wǒ xīwàng tā de mèngxiǎng kěyǐ chéngzhēn.
1. 我希望他的梦想可以成真。
    I hope his dreams will come true.

    Dìzhèn bǎ zhè zuò chéngshì huǐ diào le.
2. 地震把这座城市毁掉了。
    The city was ruined by an earthquake.

    Wǒ rènwéi tā shì yígè chéngshí de rén.
3. 我认为她是一个诚实的人。
    I believe that she is an honest person.

    Jūlǐ Fūren duì zìjǐ de chéngjiù hěn qiānxū.
4. 居里夫人对自己的成就很谦虚。
    Madame Curie is very modest about her success.