心口 (xīn kǒu) — pit of the stomach, epigastrium; one's true thoughts and feelings (as opposed to what is said); sincerity

Definition

心口 is a polysemous noun: literally the pit of the stomach (the epigastric area), and by extension one's true thoughts — as in 心口如一 ('what the heart says matches the mouth').

noun
pit of the stomachepigastriumone's true thoughts and feelings (as opposed to what is said)sincerity

Examples

  • 心口，。
    Tā hū rán gǎn dào xīn kǒu téng, gǎn jǐn zuò xià xiū xi.
    He suddenly felt pain in the pit of his stomach and quickly sat down to rest.
  • 心口，。
    Tā zuò shì xīn kǒu rú yī, dà jiā dōu hěn xìn rèn tā.
    He is sincere in his actions and words, so everyone trusts him.
  • 心口，。
    Yī shēng zài wǒ de xīn kǒu shàng àn le àn, wèn téng bu téng.
    The doctor pressed on my epigastric area and asked if it hurt.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

心xīnheart
口kǒumouth

心 and 口 stand together: heart and mouth, hence the pit and the link between thoughts and speech.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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