心绪 (xīn xù) — state of mind; mood

Definition

Literary noun for one's emotional state or mood, often unsettled or hard to calm. More written and emotional than the everyday 心情, which is neutral and used in casual speech.

noun
state of mindmood

Examples

  • ，心绪。
    Zuì jìn gōng zuò yā lì dà, wǒ de xīn xù hěn luàn.
    I've been under a lot of work pressure lately, so my state of mind is unsettled.
  • ，心绪。
    Tā zuò zài chuāng qián, xīn xù jiǔ jiǔ bù néng píng jìng.
    She sat by the window, unable to calm her mood for a long time.
  • ，心绪。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā de xīn xù biàn de fù zá qǐ lái.
    Upon hearing the news, his state of mind became complicated.

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.

心xīnmind
绪xùmood

心 and 绪 both refer to inner feeling, so together they give a person's mood.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緒; 绪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě緒xù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緒 has 糹 (silk) and 者; 者 gives the sound. The simplified 绪 is not the form described here.

Open 绪 →

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