留心 (liú xīn) — to be careful; to pay attention; to keep an eye on

Definition

Means 'to be careful / pay attention,' especially to small details or changes over time. Compare 当心 (warns of immediate danger) and 留意 (more neutral 'keep in mind').

verb
to be carefulto pay attentionto keep an eye on

Examples

  • 留心
    Nǐ guò mǎ lù de shí hou yí dìng yào liú xīn.
    You must be careful when crossing the street.
  • Zhè jiàn shì hěn zhòng yào, nǐ duō liú gè xīn.
    This matter is very important; keep an extra eye on it.
  • 留心
    Shàng kè de shí hou yào rèn zhēn tīng jiǎng, duō liú xīn.
    During class, you should listen attentively and pay close attention.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

xīnheart

留 'keep' and 心 'heart' combine to mean keep one's mind on something.

Characters in this word

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
tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
mǎoliú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

留 combines 田 (field) with 卯, which gives the sound.

Open 留 →

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 →

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