专心

• Pinyin: zhuān xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 专 = 寸 (inch) + 又 (hand), to focus on one thing; 心 = pictograph of the heart, mind/heart

Meaning

Focused; concentrated; single-minded. Giving all one's attention to a single task or goal.

Can be an adjective or adverb. 专心学习 (study with full concentration), 专心致志 (a set phrase meaning deeply focused). Implies the absence of distraction. Contrast with 分心 (to be distracted) and 心不在焉 (absent-minded). Positive in connotation.

Examples

1. 上课时请专心听讲，不要做与课堂无关的事情。 Please concentrate during class and don't do things unrelated to the lesson.
2. 只有专心做一件事，才能把它做到最好。 Only by focusing fully on one thing can you do it to the best of your ability.
3. 他在准备考试期间非常专心，几乎不看手机。 He was extremely focused while preparing for his exams and barely looked at his phone.

Usage Guide

Context: education, everyday, workplace

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 做事要专心，不要三心二意。(When doing something, focus your attention — don't be half-hearted.)
• 她专心照顾生病的父亲，暂时放下了工作。(She focused all her attention on caring for her ill father and temporarily set aside her work.)

Don't Say

• 用'专心'来描述本来就单调、毫无难度的机械性工作 (Don't use 专心 to praise someone for doing repetitive mechanical work — it implies deliberate mental concentration and sounds odd if the task requires no real focus)

Origin & History

From 专 (to concentrate/specialise, 寸 inch + 又 hand — focusing one's hand on a single point) and 心 (heart/mind, a pictograph of the heart), together meaning 'the heart directed at one thing'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal