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下决心 (xià jué xīn) — to make a decision, to make up one's mind

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to make a firm decision, often followed by 要 + another verb. The pattern 下不了决心 (xià bù liǎo jué xīn) means 'can't bring oneself to decide'.

verb
to make a decisionto make up one's mind

Examples

  • 下决心。
    Wǒ xià jué xīn jīn nián yí dìng yào xué hǎo yīng yǔ.
    I've decided to master English this year.
  • 。
    Tā xià le jué xīn yào jiè yān.
    He made up his mind to quit smoking.
  • 。
    Tā yì zhí xià bù liǎo jué xīn huàn gōng zuò.
    She has been unable to make up her mind to change jobs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

下xiàput down
决心determination
决juédecide心xīnmind
动宾Verb + object

“下” is to put down, and “决心” is the firmness of one's mind, so making a decision.

Characters in this word

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

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

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 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài決jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

Open 决 →

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
Will & Intention

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