心软 (xīn ruǎn) — softhearted, tenderhearted | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used when someone cannot bring themselves to refuse a person or a hard choice — it implies emotional weakness, not kindness. The opposite pattern is 心硬.

verb

softheartedtenderhearted

Examples

心软，。
Tā xīn ruǎn, cóng bú jù jué bié rén de qǐng qiú.
She is softhearted and never refuses others' requests.
心软。
Nǐ duì nà ge piàn zi bié xīn ruǎn.
Don't be softhearted toward that swindler.
心软，。
Yīn wèi tā xīn ruǎn, suǒ yǐ zǒng shì bèi péng you lì yòng.
Because he is softhearted, he's always taken advantage of by friends.

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 means heart and 软 means soft, so the sense is a soft heart, i.e. tenderhearted.

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.

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 軟; 软 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūcarriage

Sound part声符shēngfú

耎

耎ruǎn軟ruǎn

Same sound today

The traditional form 軟 pairs 車 (carriage) with 耎 as a sound part; 耎 depicted a man under rain, and simplified 软 uses a later right side instead of 耎.

Appears in

Personality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.