心中有数 (xīn zhōng yǒu shù) — to have a clear picture of the situation; to know what's what (so you can act confidently)

Definition

Idiom meaning you clearly understand a situation and can act with confidence. Pairs with 心中无数 (no clear idea).

idiom
to have a clear picture of the situationto know what's what (so you can act confidently)

Examples

  • 心中有数，。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì wǒ xīn zhōng yǒu shù, kěn dìng néng tōng guò.
    I have a clear sense of this exam — I'm sure I can pass.
  • ，心中有数？
    Tán pàn zhī qián, nǐ yǐ jīng xīn zhōng yǒu shù le ba?
    Before the negotiation, you've already got a good understanding, right?
  • 心中有数，。
    Tā duì xiàng mù de fēng xiǎn xīn zhōng yǒu shù, suǒ yǐ méi yǒu cōng máng qiān zì.
    He had a clear picture of the project's risks, so he didn't sign hastily.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

心中in the mind
心xīnmind中zhōnginside
偏正Modifier + head
有数have a number
有yǒuhave数shùnumber
动宾Verb + object

"心" means mind, "中" means inside, "有" means have, and "数" means number, so having a number inside the mind means knowing what is going on.

Characters in this word

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu數shù(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Open 数 →

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