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细心 (xì xīn) — careful; attentive

Definition

Adjective for paying close attention to detail in a person's character or work (细心的人, 做事细心). Unlike 小心 (often warns of danger), 细心 is about thoroughness and accuracy.

adjective
carefulattentive

Examples

  • 细心。
    Tā shì yí gè hěn xì xīn de rén.
    She is a very careful person.
  • 细心。
    Zuò zhè zhǒng gōng zuò yí dìng yào xì xīn.
    You must be careful when doing this kind of work.
  • 细心，。
    Tā xiě zuò yè hěn xì xīn, hěn shǎo chū cuò.
    He is very careful with his homework and rarely makes mistakes.

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.

细xìcareful
心xīnheart

细 (careful) and 心 (heart) describe a mind that is fine and attentive, giving the sense of careful.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 細; 细 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn細xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 細 pairs 糸, silk or thread, with 囟 for the sound. The simplified 细 is a later shorthand, and the old right part changed shape.

Open 细 →

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 4Personality & Traits

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