小心谨慎 (xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn) — careful and cautious; prudent; circumspect

Definition

An idiom meaning 'careful and prudent' — stronger and more formal than the everyday 小心, emphasizing deliberate caution in judgment and action. Often paired with 不要冲动 to contrast careful deliberation with rashness.

idiom
careful and cautiousprudentcircumspect

Examples

  • 。
    Qǐng nǐ zài gōng zuò zhōng xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn.
    Please be careful and cautious at work.
  • 小心谨慎。
    Tā zuò shì yí xiàng xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn.
    He always does things carefully and cautiously.
  • 小心谨慎，。
    Zuò jué dìng shí yào xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn, bú yào chōng dòng.
    When making decisions, be careful and prudent; don't be impulsive.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

小心careful
小xiǎosmall心xīnheart
偏正Modifier + head
谨慎cautious
谨jǐncareful慎shèncautious
联合Side by side

小心 (careful) and 谨慎 (cautious) together stress prudence.

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 →

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 謹; 谨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
堇
堇jǐn謹jǐn
Same sound today

The traditional form 謹 has 言, speech, beside 堇, which gives the sound; the whole character means to speak cautiously. The simplified 谨 is a shorthand.

Open 谨 →

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
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn慎shèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 慎, the left part 心 points to the mind or feeling, while the right part 真 supplies the sound.

Open 慎 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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