亏心事 (kuī xīn shì) — a guilty deed; an act that goes against one's conscience

Definition

A 亏心事 is something bad you did that weighs on your conscience — literally a 'deed that leaves your heart at a loss'. Use it for acts you feel guilty about, not for minor mistakes.

noun
a guilty deedan act that goes against one's conscience

Examples

  • 亏心事，。
    Tā zuò le yí jiàn kuī xīn shì, xīn lǐ yì zhí bù ān.
    He did a guilty deed and has been uneasy ever since.
  • ，亏心事。
    Zuò rén yào guāng míng zhèng dà, bié zuò kuī xīn shì.
    To be a person you should be open and upright; don't do things that go against your conscience.
  • 亏心事，。
    Nǐ qiān wàn bú yào zuò zhè zhǒng kuī xīn shì, bù rán huì hòu huǐ de.
    You absolutely must not do this kind of guilty deed, or you'll regret it.

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.

亏心feel guilty
亏kuīhurt心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object
事shìdeed

亏心 means feeling guilty, 事 is a deed, so 亏心事 is a guilty act.

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 虧; 亏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亏亏kuīexhale
Sound part声符shēngfú
雐
雐hū虧kuī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虧 pairs 雐, a sound part, with 亏, a part meaning exhale. The simplified 亏 is a later abbreviation.

Open 亏 →

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 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →

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