半信半疑

Pronunciation: bàn xìn bàn yí Literal meaning: Half believing half doubting

Origin & Usage

Half (半) believing (信), half (半) doubting (疑). The symmetry is exact and that is what the phrase is for: it does not describe leaning one way while entertaining the other, but a genuine deadlock in which neither acceptance nor rejection has won. Ming vernacular fiction uses it of characters who have just been told something extraordinary. The state one is in on hearing an unverified claim from a source that has been right before — neither credulity nor cynicism, just the honest position before the evidence arrives.

Examples

English: "She was skeptical about his explanation but couldn't dismiss it entirely."

Chinese: 她对他的解释半信半疑。