疑心 (yí xīn) — doubt, suspicion | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A noun meaning 'doubt, suspicion' — the unsettled feeling that something may be wrong. Heavier and more personal than 怀疑 (yíhuái), which can also be a verb meaning 'to suspect'.

noun

doubtsuspicion

Examples

疑心。
Tā duì zhè jiàn shì yì zhí yǒu yí xīn.
He has always had doubts about this matter.
疑心。
Tā de yí xīn yuè lái yuè zhòng le.
Her suspicion is getting heavier and heavier.
疑心。
Zhè zhǒng yí xīn ràng tā hěn bù ān.
This kind of suspicion makes him very uneasy.

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.

疑 carries doubt and 心 carries the mind, so together they suggest suspicion.

Characters in this word

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

大大dàstanding human figure
夂夂zhǐtilted head with open mouth
丨丨gǔncane

疑 depicts a standing figure 大 with a tilted, open-mouthed head 夂 and a cane 丨, a confused person looking around for direction.

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.

Appears in

Thinking & Cognition

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