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甘心 (gān xīn) — to be willing to (do something, often reluctantly or with a sense of sacrifice); to resign oneself to (a situation), to be reconciled to

Definition

甘心 means 'to be willing to' (often with reluctance or sacrifice), or 'to resign oneself to' a loss. Stronger and more willing than 肯, and unlike 情愿 it implies accepting the cost rather than choosing it.

verb
to be willing to (do something, often reluctantly or with a sense of sacrifice)to resign oneself to (a situation)to be reconciled to

Examples

  • 甘心。
    Tā gān xīn fàng qì zhè cì jī huì.
    He is willing to give up this opportunity.
  • 。
    Wǒ bù gān xīn jiù zhè yàng rèn shū.
    I'm not willing to admit defeat like this.
  • 甘心。
    Tā gān xīn wèi jiā tíng fù chū yí qiè.
    She is willing to give everything for her family.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

甘gānwilling acceptance
心xīnmind

甘 here expresses willing acceptance, and 心 is the mind that accepts, so 甘心 means to be willing to do or resign oneself to something.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

甘 originally drew an open mouth with something sweet inside it. This gives the sense of sweet or pleasant.

Open 甘 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Will & Intention

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