真【zhēn】

真 in front of an adjective means "really". Unlike 很, it carries its full weight, and it is a reaction rather than a description.

真 or 很

hěn很 is the neutral word that fills the slot before an adjective. 真 says the speaker is struck by it.

Because 真 is an exclamation, it doesn't sit comfortably in a question, and 真 + adjective doesn't go in front of a noun. Use 很 in both places.

• × 今天真冷吗？ → 今天很冷吗？
• × 她穿了一件真漂亮的衣服 → 她穿了一件很漂亮的衣服

真的 for "really" as in "genuinely"

Before a verb, the usual form is zhēn de真的. On its own, 真的吗 is the reply "Really?"

真 as an adjective

真 on its own means "true" or "genuine", the opposite of gēi假.