Meaning of 小心
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be careful
- to take care
How to use 小心
小心 works as a verb meaning "watch out for" and as an adjective meaning "careful." It is very common as a warning, often followed by what to watch out for. Example: 小心车。(Xiǎoxīn chē.) Watch out for cars.
小心 is made of 小 (xiǎo, small) and 心 (xīn, heart). Picture keeping your heart small and tight with attention, the way you hold your breath when you carry a full cup of tea.
Common mistake: Learners often put 小心 after the verb, as in 我开车小心, when Chinese prefers 小心开车 (xiǎoxīn kāichē, drive carefully) or 小心地开车. Also remember both syllables are not fourth tone: it is third tone plus first tone, xiǎoxīn.
小心 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
小 xiǎo · small · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
心 xīn · heart · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 小心.
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | young lady; miss |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | elementary school; primary school |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 开心 | kāixīn | to feel happy; to rejoice |
| 关心 | guānxīn | to be concerned about; to care about |
| 中心 | zhōngxīn | center; heart; core |
| 放心 | fàngxīn | to feel relieved; to feel reassured |
| 心情 | xīnqíng | mood; frame of mind |
| 心里 | xīnlǐ | chest; heart; mind |
Questions about 小心
What does 小心 mean?
小心 (xiǎoxīn) means "to be careful; to take care" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 小心?
小心 is made of 2 characters: 小 (3 strokes), 心 (4 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 小心 an HSK word?
Yes. 小心 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 小心 and 注意?
注意 (zhùyì) means "pay attention to" and is neutral, as in 注意身体 (take care of your health). 小心 carries a sense of danger or risk, so it is the natural choice for warnings like 小心地滑 (careful, slippery floor).
Can 小心 be used to describe a person?
Yes. You can say 他很小心 (tā hěn xiǎoxīn), "he is very careful." You can also say 不小心 (bù xiǎoxīn) to mean "accidentally," as in 我不小心打破了杯子 (I accidentally broke the cup).