Chinese word

内心

Pronunciation

Pinyinnèi xīn

Meaning

  • nouninner feelings

Example

我内心很高兴。wǒ nèi xīn hěn gāo xìng

I feel very happy inside.

Illustration for 内心 (inner feelings)

More examples

尽管外表平静，我内心却很紧张。jín guǎn wài biǎo píng jìng wǒ nèi xīn què hěn jǐn zhāng

Although I seem calm on the outside, I feel very nervous inside.

Core concept

The hidden center of a person that holds authentic emotion and thought rather than public expression.

Common phrases

  • 内心感到nèi xīn gǎn dào

    feel inwardly

  • 内心觉得nèi xīn jué de

    think inwardly

  • 内心的想法nèi xīn de xiáng fǎ

    innermost thoughts

Similar words

心里xīn lǐ: The feelings and thoughts a person holds inside.
想法xiáng fǎ: A thought or opinion formed and organized in the mind.
心情xīn qíng: A person's emotional state in response to an event.

Definition in Chinese

指一个人心里真实的感情或想法，通常不对外公开或不轻易表露。zhǐ yí gè rén xīn lǐ zhēn shí de gǎn qíng huò xiáng fǎ tōng cháng bú duì wài gōng kāi huò bù qīng yì biǎo lù

Word origin

The compound 内 (nèi, "inside") + 心 (xīn, "heart or mind") uses physical inwardness to refer to a person's private emotional and mental life.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English heart, which often points mainly to emotion, this word naturally includes private thinking as well as feeling.

Other meanings

  • true feelingsnoun
  • innermost thoughtsnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 内心世界nèi xīn shì jièinner worldnoun

Word lists with this word