言而有信
yán ér yǒu xìn
to keep one’s word
Character by character
言yán
speak
speak
而ér
and
and
有yǒu
have
have
信xìn
trust
trust
Example
做生意要言而有信，才能长久。
In business you have to keep your word if you want to last.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From 《论语》: 与朋友交，言而有信 (with friends, keep your word).
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