心急 (xīn jí) — impatient, anxious; short-tempered | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

An adjective describing a person who is impatient and easily flustered, wanting results now. Often used in set phrases like 心急吃不了热豆腐 ('haste makes waste').

adjective

impatientanxiousshort-tempered

Examples

心急，。
Bié xīn jí, màn màn lái.
Don't be impatient, take it slowly.
心急。
Tā xīn jí dé zuò lì bù ān.
She is so impatient that she can't sit still.
心急。
xīn jí Chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu.
Haste makes waste (lit. impatience won't get you the hot tofu).

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

急jíanxious

心 means heart and 急 means anxious, giving the sense of an anxious heart.

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.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

及jí急jí

Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings Personality & Traits

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