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心智 (xīn zhì) — mental capacity, intelligence (cognitive and emotional); wisdom (in the sense of sound judgment)

Definition

心智 refers to the deeper, mature aspects of the mind — judgment, emotional maturity, and wisdom — rather than raw IQ (which is 智力). It is what 成熟 modifies, denoting an adult, considered way of thinking.

noun
mental capacityintelligence (cognitive and emotional)wisdom (in the sense of sound judgment)

Examples

  • 心智。
    xīn zhì Chéng shú shì yí gè chéng nián rén yīng yǒu de biāo zhì.
    Mental maturity is a sign that an adult should have.
  • ，。
    Tā bù jǐn zài zhì lì shàng, ér qiě zài xīn zhì fāng miàn dōu hěn chū sè.
    She excels not only in intelligence but also in mental wisdom.
  • 心智。
    Zhè ge kè chéng de mù biāo shì tí gāo xué shēng de xīn zhì.
    The goal of this course is to improve students' mental capacity.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

心xīnmind
智zhìwisdom

心 refers to the mind or heart and 智 to wisdom; together they denote mental capacity or intelligence.

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 →

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

The early form 智 used 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to pass knowledge to a child.

Open 智 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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