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小心 (xiǎo xīn) — to be careful; careful

Definition

小心 is the everyday 'be careful' — used as a warning ('小心！') or to describe cautious behavior, like 当心. 仔细 and 细心 describe a careful attitude in doing tasks; 谨慎 is more formal for high-stakes decisions.

to be carefulcareful

Examples

  • 小心。
    Kāi chē de shí hou yào xiǎo xīn.
    Be careful when driving.
  • 小心，。
    xiǎo xīn, Qián miàn yǒu chē.
    Be careful, there's a car ahead.
  • 。
    Tā xiě zuò yè hěn xiǎo xīn.
    He is very careful when doing homework.

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.

小xiǎosmall
心xīnmind

small and mind in 小心 settled into a sense of caution, not a literal small mind.

Characters in this word

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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 →
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