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心神 (xīn shén) — state of mind; mental state; attention; concentration; (TCM) psychic constitution; mind

Definition

Literary term for one's 'state of mind' or 'attention/mental focus' (as in 心神不定 'distracted' or 心神放在… 'focus on'). In TCM contexts (中医), it specifically refers to the psychic constitution to be nurtured for overall health.

noun
state of mindmental stateattentionconcentration(TCM) psychic constitutionmind

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā zuì jìn xīn shén bú dìng, zǒng shì yí fù xīn shì chóng chóng de yàng zi.
    He has been unsettled lately, always looking troubled.
  • 心神。
    Tā de xīn shén quán dōu fàng zài gōng zuò shàng le.
    All her attention is focused on work.
  • 心神，。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi xīn shén xū yào hǎo hǎo tiáo yǎng, cái néng bǎo chí shēn xīn jiàn kāng.
    Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the mind needs to be nurtured properly in order to maintain physical and mental health.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

心xīnheart
神shénspirit

“心” (heart/mind) and “神” (spirit) together name one's mental state or attention.

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →
Appears in
Mental HealthTraditional Medicine & Philosophy

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