遂心

• Pinyin: suì xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 遂 = 辶 (movement radical) + 㒸 (to follow through, to achieve an aim) — to accomplish, to fulfil; 心 = heart, wishes (pictograph)

Meaning

To one's satisfaction; as one wished; fulfilling one's desires or expectations.

A literary and formal expression indicating that things have turned out as desired. More common in classical or semi-formal written Chinese than in everyday speech. Often appears in fixed phrases such as 遂心如意 (completely as one hoped) or 未能遂心 (not as one had hoped). Contrasts with the more colloquial 称心 or 如愿.

Examples

1. 经过数年的艰辛努力与不懈坚持，他终于在这片陌生的土地上闯出了一片属于自己的天地，算是大体上遂心如愿了。 After years of grueling effort and persistence, he finally carved out a place for himself on unfamiliar ground; for the most part, his hopes had been realized.
2. 人生中并非所有的事情都能遂心，面对不如意之处，重要的是保持平和的心态，从中汲取经验，而非一味地沮丧或抱怨。 Not everything in life will go the way you want; when things fall short, what matters is staying even-keeled and learning from it, rather than sinking into gloom or endless complaints.
3. 她精心筹备了这场婚礼的每一个细节，最终一切都按照预想的方式呈现，宾主尽欢、圆满遂心。 She meticulously planned every detail of the wedding, and in the end everything unfolded just as she had envisioned—guests and hosts alike were delighted, and it turned out perfectly.

Usage Guide

Context: literary Chinese, formal writing, classical expressions, personal reflection

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 多年的心血终于化为了令人欣慰的成果，项目组的所有成员都感到欣慰，此番努力可谓遂心如意，不负众望。(Years of hard work have at last yielded gratifying results — every member of the project team felt deeply satisfied, and this endeavour could truly be said to have fulfilled all hopes, living up to everyone's expectations.)
• 凡事不可强求，能够遂心固然可喜，若事与愿违也当以平常心处之，在接受现实的基础上寻求新的可能与出路。(One should not force things — it is certainly gratifying when things go as one wishes, but if they go against one's hopes, one should accept it with equanimity, seeking new possibilities and paths forward on the basis of accepting reality.)

Don't Say

• 遂心 是书面语和文学用语，在日常口语中显得过于文雅，应改用 称心、如愿 或 满意；遂心 通常不单独使用，多与 如意 连用构成 遂心如意，或置于 未能遂心 等固定搭配中

Origin & History

遂 (to accomplish, to fulfil, to carry through) + 心 (heart, wishes) — to carry out and fulfil what the heart desires

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal