有心人 (yǒu xīn rén) — a person with a determined goal; someone who sets their mind to something; a caring or observant person; someone who pays attention to others' feelings

Definition

有心人 refers to two overlapping types of person: one who is determined and goal-focused, and one who is thoughtful and attentive to others' needs.

noun
a person with a determined goalsomeone who sets their mind to somethinga caring or observant personsomeone who pays attention to others' feelings
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，有心人，。
    Yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng, zhǐ yào nǐ shì yǒu xīn rén, jiù yí dìng néng chéng gōng.
    Where there's a will there's a way; as long as you are a determined person, you will surely succeed.
  • 有心人，。
    Tā shì yí gè fēi cháng xì xīn de yǒu xīn rén, zǒng néng zhù yì dào bié rén de xū yào.
    He is a very caring person who always notices others' needs.
  • 有心人，。
    Zhè jiàn shì zhǐ yǒu yǒu xīn rén cái néng wán chéng, xū yào hěn dà de yì lì hé nài xīn.
    Only a determined person can accomplish this; it requires great perseverance and patience.

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.

有心having a heart
有yǒuhave心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object
人rénperson

有 means have, 心 means heart or mind, and 人 means person; together they name someone who pays attention.

Characters in this word

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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 shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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