15 Heartfelt Chinese Idioms With Heart (心)

Treat others as yourself

Literal meaning: Exchange heart for heart

This idiom emerged during the Han Dynasty, expressing the profound concept of exchanging (换) one heart (心) for another (以). It first appeared in diplomatic texts describing the ideal approach to building trust between warring states. The repetition of '心' (heart) emphasizes genuine reciprocity rathe...

Lower one's guard

Literal meaning: Drop heart light

A Warring States period warning about the dangers of dropping (掉) one's guard with a light (轻) heart (心). The idiom gained significance through military treatises where letting down one's vigilance often led to defeat. Historical accounts detail numerous battles lost due to overconfidence rather tha...

Words differ from thoughts

Literal meaning: Mouth yes heart no

Originating in Tang Dynasty Buddhist texts discussing the alignment of speech and thought, this idiom describes when the mouth (口) says yes (是) but the heart (心) means no (非). It became a key concept in Song Dynasty moral philosophy, where scholars debated the ethics of social courtesy versus absolu...

Invest utmost effort and emotion

Literal meaning: Vomit heart drip blood

This visceral idiom describes effort so intense it's like vomiting (呕) one's heart (心) and dripping (沥) blood (血), first appearing in Tang Dynasty literary criticism. It originally described the suffering of poets who created through intense emotional labor. Scholar Han Yu used it to explain how gre...

Deeply and permanently affected

Literal meaning: Carve bone inscribe heart

This profound idiom describes experiences so intense they seem carved (刻) into one's bones (骨) and inscribed (铭) in the heart (心), emerging from Han Dynasty ancestral worship practices, where important family events were literally carved into bone tokens for remembrance. The phrase gained emotional ...

Restless, unfocused mind

Literal meaning: Heart monkey mind horse

This restless idiom compares the heart/mind (心) to a monkey (猿) and thoughts/intentions (意) to a galloping horse (马), originating from Buddhist meditation texts during the Tang Dynasty. It described the challenging experience of untamed consciousness constantly jumping between objects of attention. ...

Courage balanced with careful attention

Literal meaning: Bold gallbladder, careful heart

This balanced idiom pairs a large gallbladder (胆大, representing courage) with a fine/careful heart (心细), originating from Ming Dynasty military manuals. Traditional Chinese medicine associated the gallbladder with courage and decision-making, while the heart governed careful thinking. The combinatio...

Fundamentally kind and virtuous character

Literal meaning: Heart ground kind good

This phrase originated from Buddhist terminology during the Eastern Han Dynasty introduction of Buddhism to China. It appeared in early sutras translated into Chinese describing ideal character cultivation. During the Tang Dynasty, it transitioned from purely religious contexts to general ethical de...

Extreme anxiety with physical symptoms

Literal meaning: Lift heart hang gall

This idiom originated from Song Dynasty medical descriptions of physiological responses to terror. It first appeared in clinical texts explaining how fear affects internal organs before becoming metaphorical. During the Ming Dynasty, vernacular literature adopted it to describe characters experienci...

Act with extreme caution and care

Literal meaning: Small heart wing wing

From the ancient verses of the 'Book of Songs' (1000-600 BCE) comes this image of approaching tasks with a cautious heart (小心) and bird-like alertness (翼翼). Court officials first used it to describe navigating treacherous political environments. Han Dynasty writers expanded its use to describe handl...

Perfectly satisfying every expectation

Literal meaning: Match heart according wish

Tang Dynasty poets first celebrated these rare moments when outcomes match one's heart (称心) according to wishes (如意). Song Dynasty craftsmen adopted it to describe perfect alignment between vision and execution. The phrase gains power from addressing both emotional satisfaction (心) and rational inte...

Acting on a sudden impulse or whim

Literal meaning: Heart's blood comes in a tide

This idiom comes from traditional Chinese medicine concepts where the heart (心) was believed to govern blood (血) circulation and emotions. When blood rushes to the heart like a tide (潮), it was thought to cause sudden impulses or inspirations. The phrase gained literary currency during the Ming Dyna...

Wholeheartedly; with undivided attention

Literal meaning: One heart one mind

This idiom appears in Buddhist texts translated during the Han Dynasty, describing the focused mind required for meditation. The repetition of 'one' (一) with 'heart' (心) and 'mind/intention' (意) emphasizes complete unity of purpose and concentration. The phrase gained broader usage in describing dev...

Careless; negligent

Literal meaning: Rough heart and careless mind

This idiom combines 'rough/coarse' (粗) heart (心) with 'big/careless' (大) intention (意) to describe a lack of attention to detail. While both components independently suggest carelessness, together they emphasize habitual inattention rather than momentary lapses. The phrase gained currency in Ming Dy...

Calm and composed; even-tempered

Literal meaning: Heart calm and breath harmonious

This idiom combines 'calm heart' (心平) with 'harmonious breath/energy' (气和), reflecting traditional Chinese understanding of emotional and physical balance. In Chinese medicine and philosophy, the state of one's 'qi' (气) directly affects emotional disposition. The phrase appears in Song Dynasty Neo-C...