心眼儿

• Pinyin: xīn yǎnr
• Hanzi breakdown: 心 = heart (pictograph); 眼 = 目 + 艮 (the eye as aperture of the mind); 儿 = diminutive/erhua suffix

Meaning

One's inner mind; cleverness; hidden intentions. Context-dependent: can be positive (perceptiveness) or negative (scheming).

Common in northern Chinese dialect. 有心眼儿 can mean 'clever/perceptive' or 'scheming' depending on context. 没心眼儿 means naive or without guile.

Examples

1. 她是个有心眼儿的人，什么事都藏在心里不轻易说出来。 She’s the type who keeps things to herself and doesn’t easily say what she’s thinking.
2. 这孩子没什么心眼儿，说话直来直去，大家都喜欢他。 This kid doesn’t have much of a calculating side—he speaks plainly, and everyone likes him.
3. 做生意要有心眼儿，但绝不能为了利益出卖诚信。 In business you need to be shrewd, but you must never sell out your integrity for profit.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, character description, northern Chinese dialect

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 职场上要有点心眼儿，懂得保护自己的权益，但不要走向耍心机的极端。(In the workplace, it pays to have some perceptiveness to protect your own interests, but do not go to the extreme of scheming.)
• 他没什么心眼儿，总是直来直去，虽然偶尔得罪人，但大家普遍认为他值得信赖。(He has no guile whatsoever, always direct and straightforward; although he occasionally offends people, he is generally regarded as trustworthy.)

Don't Say

• 他心眼儿了我 — 心眼儿 is a noun, not a verb; say 他耍了心眼儿算计我 instead

Origin & History

心 (heart) + 眼儿 (eye/aperture) — the eye of the heart; the perceptive inner mind

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal