Meaning of 心中
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- central point
- in one's thoughts
- in one's heart
How to use 心中
心中 means in one's heart or mind, and it often comes after what you feel or keep inside, as in 心中的想法 or in phrases like 在我心中. It sounds a little more written or emotional than 心里 (xīnli). Example: 在我心中，你是最好的老师。(Zài wǒ xīnzhōng, nǐ shì zuì hǎo de lǎoshī.) In my heart, you are the best teacher.
心 (xīn) is the heart and 中 (zhōng) means middle or inside, so 心中 is what sits in the middle of your heart. Picture the line through the box in 中 pointing right into your heart.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 中心 (zhōngxīn) when they mean 心中, but 中心 means center, as in 购物中心 (shopping center). The order matters: 心中 is inside the heart, 中心 is the central point of a place or thing.
心中 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.
心 xīn · heart · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
中 zhōng · within · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 心中.
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon; midday |
| 中学 | zhōngxué | middle school |
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 中学生 | zhōngxuéshēng | middle-school student; high school student |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 开心 | kāixīn | to feel happy; to rejoice |
| 其中 | qízhōng | among; in |
| 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 |
Questions about 心中
What does 心中 mean?
心中 (xīnzhōng) means "central point; in one's thoughts" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 心中?
心中 is made of 2 characters: 心 (4 strokes), 中 (4 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 心中 an HSK word?
Yes. 心中 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 心中 and 心里?
Both mean in one's heart or mind. 心里 (xīnli) is more common in everyday speech, while 心中 feels slightly more formal, literary or emotional, so you see it often in songs, speeches and writing.
Is the 中 in 心中 pronounced zhōng or zhòng?
It is first tone, zhōng, meaning middle or inside. The fourth tone zhòng is used in words like 中奖 (zhòngjiǎng, to win a prize), meaning to hit a target.