得心应手
得心应手 (dé xīn yìng shǒu) literally means “heart obtains, hand responds” and expresses “work with great ease; have complete mastery”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning.
Also searched as: de xin ying shou, de xin ying shou,得心应手 meaning, 得心应手 in english
Work with great ease; have complete mastery
Pronunciation: dé xīn yìng shǒu Literal meaning: Heart obtains, hand responds
Origin & Usage
This idiom describes the heart (心) obtaining (得) and the hand (手) responding (应). It depicts perfect coordination between intention and execution. The phrase captures the experience of mastery where action flows naturally from thought. Modern usage describes performing tasks with complete facility, when skill has become so internalized that execution is effortless.
Examples
English: "The artist's brush moved exactly as she imagined."
Chinese: 艺术家运笔得心应手。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about wisdom & learning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 得心应手 mean in English?
得心应手 (dé xīn yìng shǒu) literally translates to “Heart obtains, hand responds” and is used to express “Work with great ease; have complete mastery”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.
When is 得心应手 used?
Situation: The artist's brush moved exactly as she imagined.
What is the pinyin for 得心应手?
The pinyin pronunciation for 得心应手 is “dé xīn yìng shǒu”.