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What is a meaning of 真是的. I heard for many times in context something like 你真是的！ And yet I have doubts about proper meaning of this expression.

Denis Kucherov
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  • As per the [FAQ], we do not forbid translation requests but note that this is not a translation service, so we will close any translation request that does not show research effort. You must make sure you clearly show it in your question if you want to avoid the closure. Note that you can edit your question and improve it by using the "edit" button below it. When you're done, flag it for moderator attention and we'll reopen it. – Alenanno Feb 08 '13 at 17:18
  • I certainly know all the characters here, and mdgb gives me the translation I would expect for the three together like this. In the example context though, I really couldn't even guess at the meaning.

    I did a search on 你真是的！ and found this thread: http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/19405-%E2%80%9C%E4%BD%A0%E7%9C%9F%E6%98%AF%E7%9A%84%E2%80%9D/ indicating that it's often used as an expression of annoyance like "You're really ... " with the end omitted.

     – juckele Feb 08 '13 at 18:15
  • I think it is somewhat similar to "Oh, my God" and "Jesus Christ". – 杨以轩 Feb 14 '13 at 08:59

5 Answers5

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It's an interjection, which means its translation relies very much on the context it's in.

In general, it's an exclamation of disbelief or disagreement on what follows the phrase.

Examples:

你真是的， 怎么没穿鞋就跑出来了？ (Come on! You ran out without any shoes on?)

你也真是的，　这么早就把我吵醒了.　(Seriously? Waking me up this early?)

真是的,　他到现在还没来.　(He's not here yet. Hopeless!)

deutschZuid
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真是的 generally means something you're not satisfied with. Its specific mood depends on the conversation.

Compare:

You're blaming someone:
真是的，你又搞砸了！(Oh, no, you mess up everything again!)

You're talking to a friend who comes to visit you:
真是的，还跟我客气什么。(Ah, come on, don't stand on ceremony.)

pjhades
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  • Some times I heard it in the end of the sentence, so I'm wonder, could it have a positive meaning, meaning that I'm satisfied? For example if I say: PJ.Hades 你真是的！ Is it a negative anyway or depends from context. For I'm trying to say that the person just done something really great. – Denis Kucherov Feb 09 '13 at 04:50
  • @DenisKucherov As an interjection, it can be put either at the beginning or the end of a sentence. If we have a situation where A sends a gift to his wife B for the marriage anniversary. B is happy to accept the gift, but pretend to be shy or embarrassed. A may say:"亲爱的，这是送给你的。". B may respond:"哎哟，还送我礼物，你真是的。". This is a possible case that I think the expression means "I'm satisfied". – pjhades Feb 09 '13 at 08:44
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As a native Chinese speaker I think it is most close to English "How can you do that?". In daily use it is often used in a critical or ironic tone after someone has done something wrong or stupid considered by the speaker. Example, after I bought a ugly shoes, my girlfriend would say:"真是的，又乱花钱".

Boyu Fang
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In some situations good translations would be "You are too much!" and "I can't believe you!". Those could be both positive or negative situations.

Dan
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“真是的” is just an abbreviation of “真是XX的”(you are XX indeed). But the listener might be hurt if "XX" is spoken out directly. So we say “真是的” to express what we want to say, but in a not very sharp way. The true meaning of "XX" usually can be readily inferred from the context.

For example: “你好不容易出国，居然还回来，真是的”=“你好不容易出国，居然还回来，真是傻”. The latter sentence is obviously offensive and therefore make the listener unhappy, so the speaker omits it. But the listener can easily guess what is omitted from the context.

Zhou Heng
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