小心翼翼 (xiǎo xīn yì yì) — very carefully, with great caution and prudence | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'with great caution' — stronger and more vivid than the plain adjectives 谨慎 and 慎重, used to describe careful actions rather than a careful person.

phrase

very carefullywith great caution and prudence

Examples

小心翼翼。
Tā xiǎo xīn yì yì dì bǎ huā píng fàng zài zhuō shàng.
He placed the vase on the table very carefully.
小心翼翼。
Yī shēng xiǎo xīn yì yì dì gěi bìng rén zuò shǒu shù.
The doctor performed the surgery on the patient with great caution.
小心翼翼。
Tā xiǎo xīn yì yì dì chuān guò mǎn shì bō li suì piàn de zǒu láng.
She walked through the corridor full of broken glass very carefully.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

小心cautious

小xiǎosmall心xīnheart

偏正Modifier + head

翼翼careful and solemn

翼yìsolemn翼yìsolemn

重叠Reduplication

The cautious sense of 小心 is reinforced by the solemn carefulness of 翼翼, describing very prudent behavior.

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.

羽異翼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

異

異yì翼yì

Same sound today

翼 combines 羽 (feathers/wings) with 異, which supplies the sound.

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

羽異翼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

異

異yì翼yì

Same sound today

翼 combines 羽 (feathers/wings) with 異, which supplies the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Idioms & Set Phrases

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