TongTong
Sign in

知心 (zhī xīn) — intimate, understanding (of a friend or conversation that shares deep feelings)

Definition

知心 describes a person, friend, or conversation that truly understands your inner feelings — a closer bond than 熟悉 or 普通朋友 implies. Often used in the set phrase 知心朋友 / 说知心话.

adjective
intimateunderstanding (of a friend or conversation that shares deep feelings)

Examples

  • 知心。
    Tā shì wǒ zuì zhī xīn de péng you.
    She is my most intimate friend.
  • 知心。
    Wǒ men jīng cháng zài yì qǐ shuō zhī xīn huà.
    We often have heart-to-heart talks together.
  • 知心。
    Yǒu yí gè zhī xīn de péng you hěn bù róng yì.
    It's not easy to have an intimate friend.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

知zhīknow
心xīnheart

知心 pairs 知, to know, with 心, heart; knowing someone's heart makes a relationship intimate.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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 →
Appears in
Friends & Social

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