下决心

• Pinyin: xià jué xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 下 = to set down, make; 决 = 氵+ 夬 (water + decisive break — a definitive resolution); 心 = heart/mind

Meaning

To make up one's mind; to resolve firmly. To arrive at an unwavering determination to pursue a course of action, often in the face of difficulty, self-doubt, or opposition.

Expresses a conscious, decisive internal commitment. Common pattern: 下定决心 (to firmly resolve). Often followed by an infinitive clause: 下决心做某事 (resolve to do something). Used in personal, political, and organisational contexts. Implies the resolution was not easily reached.

Examples

1. 经历了连续三次创业失败之后，他终于下决心系统地研究商业模式，而不再凭直觉盲目行事。 After three consecutive startup failures, he finally made up his mind to study business models systematically instead of acting blindly on intuition.
2. 政府已下决心在五年内将碳排放量削减百分之四十，并将这一目标写入了国家气候行动计划。 The government has resolved to cut carbon emissions by 40% within five years and has written this goal into the national climate action plan.
3. 她在经历了长期的犹豫与自我怀疑之后，下决心放弃稳定的公职，全身心投入艺术创作。 After a long period of hesitation and self-doubt, she made up her mind to give up a stable government job and devote herself fully to artistic creation.

Usage Guide

Context: personal, politics, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 面对企业持续亏损的局面，董事会终于下决心引进外部战略顾问，对整个管理架构进行系统性重组，以彻底扭转公司的经营困境。(Confronted with the company's continued losses, the board of directors finally made up its mind to bring in external strategic consultants to conduct a systematic restructuring of the entire management framework, so as to fundamentally reverse the company's operational difficulties.)
• 这位科研人员在屡遭学界同行质疑之后，下决心用严格的实验数据彻底证明自己理论的正确性，此后数年间他在实验室几乎废寝忘食。(After repeatedly facing scepticism from academic peers, this researcher made up his mind to prove the correctness of his theory conclusively using rigorous experimental data; in the years that followed, he threw himself into the laboratory with hardly a moment to eat or sleep.)

Don't Say

• 下决心 when the intention is weak or conditional — use 打算 or 考虑 instead; 下决心 implies a firm, final commitment, not a tentative plan or vague wish

Origin & History

下 (to make, to set down) + 决心 (determination — 决 = 氵+ 夬, water + decisive cut; 心 = heart) — to plant a firm resolve in one's heart

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal