耍心眼 (shuǎ xīn yǎn) — to play mind games, to be calculating or scheming

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to play mind games / scheme behind someone's back', implying petty or underhanded manipulation. Usually takes 跟/和 + a person and has a negative connotation, unlike neutral verbs of planning.

verb
to play mind gamesto be calculating or scheming

Examples

  • 耍心眼，。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan gēn tóng shì shuǎ xīn yǎn, dà jiā dōu bú xìn rèn tā.
    He always likes to play mind games with colleagues; nobody trusts him.
  • 耍心眼，。
    Bié gēn wǒ shuǎ xīn yǎn, yǒu huà zhí shuō.
    Don't play games with me — just say what you mean.
  • ，耍心眼。
    Tā shì gè lǎo shi rén, cóng bù shuǎ xīn yǎn.
    She's an honest person who never schemes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

耍shuǎplay
心眼heart's eye
心xīnheart眼yǎneye
偏正Modifier + head

耍 (play) 心眼 (heart's eye) suggests playing with someone's mind.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 耍 →

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

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