Definition
老老实实 is a four-character AABB reduplication of 老实, meaning 'honest and down-to-earth'. As an adverb, it describes doing something in an honest, straightforward, or well-behaved manner (老老实实地做). As a predicative adjective, it describes a person's character (他这个人老老实实的). The reduplication adds emphasis and a lively tone, common in colloquial Chinese.
v.p./adv.
(adv./adj.) honestlyearnestlyin a well-behaved manner
Examples
- 老老实实，？Nǐ lǎo lǎo shí shí de gàosu wǒ, zhè jiàn shì bú shì nǐ de cuò?Tell me honestly, is this matter not your fault?
- 老老实实，。Tā zhège rén lǎo lǎo shí shí, cóng bù shuǎ huāzhāo.He is an honest person and never plays tricks.
- 老老实实，。Zuò xuéwèn děi lǎo lǎo shí shí, bù néng jí gōng jìn lì.Doing academic research requires earnestness; you can't seek quick success.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.