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shí 实 shì 事 qiú 求 shì 是

实事求是 shí shì qiú shì

to seek truth from facts; to be practical and realistic

Literally: real matter seek truth

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Origin

From the Book of Han, describing Prince Liu De of Hejian as one who 修学好古,实事求是 (studied the ancients and sought truth from facts).

How to use it

Predicate or adverbial; positive. Often 实事求是地说.

Example sentences

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  1. 实事求是地说，这次考试我没有好好准备。
    Shí shì qiú shì de shuō, zhè cì kǎoshì wǒ méiyǒu hǎohǎo zhǔnbèi.
    To be honest, I didn't prepare properly for this exam.
    real matter seek truth (particle) say, this time exam I not-have properly prepare
  2. 我们做事要实事求是，不能说假话。
    Wǒmen zuòshì yào shí shì qiú shì, bù néng shuō jiǎhuà.
    We should be realistic and truthful in what we do and not tell lies.
    we do-things must real matter seek truth, not can say false-words

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