会心 (huì xīn) — to have a meeting of minds; to understand each other tacitly

Definition

A literary verb meaning a tacit 'meeting of minds' — understanding without words, often through a smile or nod. Used in writing, not everyday speech.

verb
to have a meeting of mindsto understand each other tacitly

Examples

  • ，会心。
    Tā duì wǒ xiào le xiào, wǒ huì xīn dì diǎn le diǎn tóu.
    He smiled at me, and I nodded knowingly.
  • ，。
    Tā men liǎ zhǐ jiàn guò yí miàn, què huì guò yí cì xīn.
    The two of them only met once, but they shared a meeting of minds.
  • 会心，。
    Péng you zhī jiān yǒu yì zhǒng huì xīn, bú yòng duō shuō jiù néng míng bai.
    Between friends there is a tacit understanding that needs no words.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

会huìunderstand
心xīnmind

会 (understand) reaches into 心 (mind), giving tacit understanding.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.