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存心 (cún xīn) — (verb) to harbor (an intention, usually negative); (adverb) deliberately, intentionally, on purpose

Definition

存心 (cúnxīn) leans negative — to harbor an intention, often bad. As an adverb it means 'deliberately,' stronger than 故意 and more malicious than 特意 (which is neutral/positive).

verb
to harbor (an intention, usually negative)
adverb
deliberatelyintentionallyon purpose

Examples

  • 存心，。
    Tā cún xīn bù liáng, nǐ yào xiǎo xīn.
    He has bad intentions — you should be careful.
  • 存心，。
    Tā cún xīn bù jiē diàn huà, ràng wǒ zháo jí.
    She deliberately didn't answer the phone to make me worry.
  • 存心？
    Nǐ bú shì cún xīn piàn wǒ ba?
    You're not deliberately trying to trick me, are you?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

存cúnharbor
心xīnintention

存 'harbor' and 心 'intention' build the idea of having a deliberate purpose.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái存cún
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

存 pairs 子 with 才, which was used for the sound.

Open 存 →

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 7-9Will & Intention

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.