Naive describes a person who has not seen much of how complicated and unkind the world can be, and so trusts people too easily and expects things to turn out well. A naive person is not stupid — that is the key point. They may be very clever, but they are missing experience, so they believe what they are told and do not imagine that someone might be lying to them or using them.

Naive describes a personnaive形容的是一個人 who has not seen much of how complicated and unkind the world can be還沒見識過這個世界有多複雜、多不友善, and so trusts people too easily所以太容易相信別人 and expects things to turn out well也總以為事情會有好結果。A naive person is not stupid一個naive的人並不是笨 — that is the key point這是最重要的一點。They may be very clever他們可能很聰明, but they are missing experience只是缺少經驗, so they believe what they are told所以會相信別人告訴他們的話 and do not imagine也不會去想 that someone might be lying to them or using them可能有人在騙他們或利用他們。

You can call a person naive (she was young and naive), or you can call their thinking naive (it was naive to think he would pay us back), and the second use is very common. Most of the time it is a criticism, though usually a gentle one, and it can even sound affectionate about a child or a young person. Said about an adult in a serious situation, it stings more — telling a colleague their plan is naive means it ignores obvious problems.

You can call a person naive你可以說一個人naive (she was young and naive她那時年輕又naive), or you can call their thinking naive或者說他的想法naive (it was naive to think he would pay us back以為他會還我們錢是很naive的想法), and the second use is very common而第二種用法非常常見。Most of the time it is a criticism大部分時候這是一種批評, though usually a gentle one不過通常是溫和的批評, and it can even sound affectionate about a child or a young person用在小孩或年輕人身上時，聽起來甚至還帶點疼愛的感覺。Said about an adult in a serious situation如果是用在嚴肅場合裡的大人身上, it stings more這個字就刺得多了 — telling a colleague their plan is naive跟同事說他的計畫很naive means it ignores obvious problems意思是這個計畫忽略了明顯的問題。

There is a second, quite different use in art: naive art means art made in a deliberately simple, untrained style, and there it is not an insult at all. The word is spelled naive or naïve — the two dots are optional and both spellings are correct. It is said roughly ny-EEV, with the stress on the second half, which surprises many learners.

There is a second, quite different use in art藝術領域裡還有第二種、完全不同的用法：naive art means art made in a deliberately simple, untrained stylenaive art指的是刻意用簡單、未經訓練的風格做出來的藝術, and there it is not an insult at all在這裡完全不是在罵人。The word is spelled naive or naïve這個字可以拼成naive或naïve — the two dots are optional上面那兩點可加可不加 and both spellings are correct兩種拼法都對。It is said roughly ny-EEV它大概唸成ny-EEV, with the stress on the second half重音在後半部, which surprises many learners這常讓學習者感到意外。