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在心 (zài xīn) — to be attentive to, to take to heart, to be concerned about

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'keep in mind / be attentive to'. 一点儿心都不在 is the common negative: 'not care about at all'.

verb
to be attentive toto take to heartto be concerned about

Examples

  • 在心。
    Tā duì zhè jiàn shì hěn zài xīn.
    He is very attentive to this matter.
  • 在心。
    Xué xí shàng nǐ yào duō zài xīn.
    You should pay more attention to your studies.
  • ，。
    Duì jiā lǐ de shì, tā yì diǎn r xīn dōu bú zài.
    He doesn't care at all about family matters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

在zàibe in
心xīnheart

在 (be in) and 心 (heart) combine: something is placed in the heart, so the person cares.

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.

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

Open 在 →

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 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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