证 from HSK Level 3 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 证 (zhèng) is composed of two parts: 言 (yán) and 灷 (zhèng). 言 means "to speak" or "to say", and 灷 is a phonetic component that indicates the pronunciation of the character. The original meaning of 证 is "to bear witness" or "to testify", which is related to the idea of speaking or giving evidence. Over time, the meaning of 证 has expanded to include other related concepts, such as "proof", "evidence", "certificate", and "to prove".The character 证 can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective. As a noun, it means "proof", "evidence", or "certificate". For example, 证据 (zhèngjù) means "evidence", and 身份证 (shēnfènzhèng) means "identity card". As a verb, 证 means "to prove" or "to testify". For example, 证明 (zhèngmíng) means "to prove", and 作证 (zuòzhèng) means "to testify". As an adjective, 证 means "authentic" or "genuine". For example, 正宗 (zhèngzōng) means "authentic", and 正品 (zhèngpǐn) means "genuine product".The character 证 is commonly used in Chinese writing and speaking. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used in a wide variety of contexts.