Chinese word

小心

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo xīn

Meaning

  • verbbe careful

Example

过马路时要小心。guò mǎ lù shí yào xiǎo xīn

Be careful when crossing the street.

Illustration for 小心 (be careful)

More examples

走山路要小心脚下。zǒu shān lù yào xiǎo xīn jiǎo xià

Be careful where you step when walking on mountain paths.

Core concept

A person keeps attention on the next action, reducing danger and mistakes.

Common phrases

  • 小心一点儿xiǎo xīn yì diǎnr

    be a little careful

Similar words

注意zhù yì: Giving attention to surroundings or actions helps prevent things from being forgotten or missed.
当心dāng xīn: Staying alert when danger seems likely helps prevent accidents.

Definition in Chinese

在行动或判断时保持谨慎，减小发生危险或出错的可能性。zài xíng dòng huò pàn duàn shí bǎo chí jǐn shèn jián xiǎo fā shēng wēi xiǎn huò chū cuò de kě néng xìng

Word origin

The compound 小 (xiǎo, "small") + 心 (xīn, "heart/mind") links fine attention with the mind, a natural image for acting cautiously.

Usage tips

  • In spoken Chinese, this warning can stand alone when the danger is obvious, so a short utterance can still be a complete message.

Other meanings

  • watch outinterjection
  • carefuladjective

Word lists with this word