小心眼 (xiǎo xīn yǎn) — narrow-mindedness; pettiness; a petty person | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

小心眼 describes a petty, narrow-minded person or their petty behavior — focuses on someone who holds grudges over small things and won't let go. Often used as a mild insult or self-deprecating jab.

noun

narrow-mindednesspettinessa petty person

Examples

小心眼，。
Tā zhè ge rén jiù shì xiǎo xīn yǎn, cóng lái bú ràng bù.
He is just narrow-minded; he never gives in.
小心眼。
Nǐ zhè me zuò xiǎn de yǒu diǎn xiǎo xīn yǎn le.
Doing that makes you seem a bit petty.
小心眼，。
Dà jiā dōu jué de tā tài xiǎo xīn yǎn, bú yuàn yì gēn tā hé zuò.
Everyone thinks she is too narrow-minded and doesn't want to cooperate with her.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

心眼mind

心xīnheart眼yǎneye

联合Coordinate

小 means small, and 心眼 refers to one's mind or disposition; a small mind is narrow-minded.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

八八bāto divide; to separate
丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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.

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

目艮眼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn眼yǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Appears in

Personality & Traits

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