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定心丸 (dìng xīn wán) — (figurative) reassurance; something that sets one's mind at ease

Definition

Literally a 'calming pill,' but used figuratively for anything that eases worry or reassures you — like good news or a promise. Usually paired with 吃了一颗 ('took a pill') as a verb-object construction.

noun
(figurative) reassurancesomething that sets one's mind at ease

Examples

  • ，定心丸。
    Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, wǒ jiù xiàng chī le yì kē dìng xīn wán.
    Hearing this good news felt like taking a pill that sets my mind at ease.
  • 定心丸，。
    Tā de huà gěi le wǒ yì kē dìng xīn wán, ràng wǒ bú zài dān xīn.
    Her words gave me reassurance, so I stopped worrying.
  • ，定心丸。
    Yǒu le lǎo bǎn de chéng nuò, wǒ xīn lǐ jiù yǒu le yì kē dìng xīn wán.
    With the boss's promise, I finally had something to set my mind at ease.

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.

定心
定dìngsettle心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object
丸wánpill

定 (settle) + 心 (heart) + 丸 (pill) means a pill that settles the heart, figuratively reassurance.

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.

Open 定 →

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 →

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

丸 is a later form split off from 夗. One explanation says its shape came from turning over a character meaning to tilt, giving the sense of something round.

Open 丸 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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