心悦诚服 (xīn yuè chéng fú) — to be completely and sincerely convinced (from the heart)

Definition

Idiom meaning 'sincerely and wholeheartedly convinced' — emphasizes that the conviction comes from the heart, not just the head.

idiom
to be completely and sincerely convinced (from the heart)

Examples

  • 心悦诚服。
    Tā de jiě shì ràng wǒ xīn yuè chéng fú.
    His explanation made me completely convinced.
  • ，心悦诚服。
    Tīng le tā de yǎn jiǎng, dà jiā dōu xīn yuè chéng fú.
    After hearing her speech, everyone was sincerely convinced.
  • ，心悦诚服。
    Jīng guò zhè cì biàn lùn, wǒ duì tā de guān diǎn xīn yuè chéng fú.
    After this debate, I was wholeheartedly convinced of his viewpoint.

Origin

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 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì悦yuè
Same sound today

The heart part 忄 shows the feeling of delight; 兌 gives the sound.

Open 悦 →

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 誠; 诚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng誠chéng
Same sound today

In 誠, 言 is the speech part and 成 gives the sound; this is about the traditional form 誠, not the simplified 诚.

Open 诚 →

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
凡凡fántray
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬝
𠬝𠬝服fú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 服, the part 𠬝 was the original picture for 'to subdue'; the added left part 凡, a tray, later changed shape.

Open 服 →

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