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用心 (yòng xīn) — attentive; diligent; careful

Definition

As an adjective, 用心 means 'attentive / diligent' — describes how someone does a task, stronger than 仔细. The related noun 用心 means 'motive / intention' (like 动机).

adjective
attentivediligentcareful

Examples

  • 用心。
    Tā xué xí hěn yòng xīn.
    He studies very diligently.
  • 用心，。
    Tā zuò cài hěn yòng xīn, měi dào cài dōu hěn hǎo chī.
    She cooks very carefully, and every dish is delicious.
  • 用心。
    Qǐng yòng xīn tīng lǎo shī de huà.
    Please listen attentively to the teacher.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

用yònguse
心xīnheart/mind

用 (use) and 心 (heart/mind) combine as 'using one's mind', hence careful or diligent.

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.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

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 6Personality & Traits

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