One of my biggest concerns when using a foreign language is to be misunderstood. Especially when talking about feelings and emotions. In this kind of conversation, the Chinese word for heart (心 xīn) is very useful.

心 is a short of 心脏 (xīn zàng), which means heart, and refers to the physical organ. As in the Chinese medical terms: 心脏病 (xīn zàng bìng, heart disease), 心脏学 (xīn zàng xué, cardiology), 心脏衰竭 (xīn zàng shuāi jié, heart failure), etc. For example:

心脏是人最重要的器官。

Xīn zàng shì rén zuì zhòng yào de qì guān.

The heart is the most important organ.

他心脏已停止跳动。

Tā xīn zàng yǐ tíng zhǐ tiào dòng.

His heart has stopped beating.

 

The sole character 心 (xīn) represents the physical body part. It is mentioned when describing the heart pace. For example:

我的心狂跳不已。

Wǒ de xīn kuáng tiào bù yǐ.

My heart beat wildly. 

他的心扑扑地跳。

Tā de xīn pū pū dì tiào.

His heart throbbed.

心 is also part of the phrase 心跳 (xīn tiào) which means heartbeat, pulse. For example:

一想到她要来，他的心跳就加速了。

Yī xiǎng dào tā yào lái, tā de xīn tiào jiù jiā sù le.

His heart beat faster when he thought of her coming.

 

The metaphorical sense of the heart as the center of one’s emotion, affection and love, is common in many languages. The Chinese character 心 is a symbol of love, especially romantic love. A famous Chinese love song is called 月亮代表我的心 (yuè liàng dài biǎo wǒ de xīn), meaning the moon represents my heart. The singer confesses a deep love and tells:

轻轻的一个吻已经打动我的心。

Qīng qīng de yī gè wěn yǐ jīng dǎ dòng wǒ de xīn.

One soft kiss has already moved my heart.

 

心 alone also expresses abstract meanings, related to one’s mind, heart and soul. Such as: feelings, emotions, thoughts, temperament, ideas, and even personal characters. The Chinese language attributes all these to the heart. For example:

有些人是好心好意，但不一定真正能帮得上忙。

Yǒu xiē rén shì hǎo xīn hǎo yì, dàn bù yī dìng zhēn zhèng néng bāng dé shàng máng.

Some people are kind, but they may not really be able to help.

他的心真黑！

Tā de xīn zhēn hēi!

He’s so wicked!

他心里不高兴,没有向大家告辞。

Tā xīn lǐ bù gāo xìng, méi yǒu xiàng dà jiā gào cí.

He was unhappy and left without saying goodbye to everyone.

他心中十分恼火。

Tā xīn zhōng shí fēn nǎo huǒ.

He was very angry.

他心里有顾虑，不敢说出事情的真相。

Tā xīn li yǒu gù lǜ, bù gǎn shuō chū shì qíng de zhēn xiàng.

He was very concerned, and dared not tell the truth.

紧张的情绪揪住了我的心。

Jǐn zhāng de qíng xù jiū zhù le wǒ de xīn.

Nervousness gripped my heart.

听了这消息我心里很不安。

Tīng le zhè xiāo xī wǒ xīn lǐ hěn bù ān.

I was very disturbed after hearing the news.

 

The character 心 is part of many phrases. Here is a list of just a few:

Practice makes perfect. Use any advantage to practice: read a lot, listen to the radio even if you don’t understand most of the talking, and don’t skip the writing. When your hand is struggling with the pen, your mind works as well. Luckily, with only four strokes, 心 is one of the easiest character to write. Watch how to write:

好好学习，天天向上！

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