小心

Chinese

		small; tiny; few small; tiny; few; young	heart; mind
simp. and trad. (小心)		小	心

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiǎoxīn

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): siu² sam¹

(Taishan, Wiktionary): lhiau² lhim^1*
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): séu-sîm

(Hailu, HRS): siau^ˊ sim^ˋ

(Meixian, Guangdong): xiau³ xim¹
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): sió-sim

(Teochew, Peng'im): siê² sim¹ / sio² sim¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎoxīn
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siǎosin
  - Wade–Giles: hsiao³-hsin¹
  - Yale: syǎu-syīn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheaushin
  - Palladius: сяосинь (sjaosinʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: siu² sam¹
  - Yale: síu sām
  - Cantonese Pinyin: siu² sam¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: xiu² sem¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lhiau² lhim^1*
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬiau⁵⁵ ɬim³³⁻³³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: séu-sîm
  - Hakka Romanization System: seu^ˋ xim^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: seu³ xim¹
  - Sinological IPA: /seu̯³¹ sim²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: siau^ˊ sim^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /siau²⁴⁻³³ sim⁵³/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: xiau³ xim¹
  - Sinological IPA: /siau³¹ sim⁴⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sió-sim
  - Tâi-lô: sió-sim
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sioysym
  - IPA (Xiamen): /sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sio⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ sim³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /siɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: siê² sim¹ / sio² sim¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sié sim / sió sim
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sie⁵²⁻³⁵ sim³³/, /sio⁵²⁻³⁵ sim³³/

Middle Chinese: sjewX sim

Rime
Character	小	心
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	宵 (91)	侵 (139)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	私兆切	息林切
Baxter	sjewX	sim
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siᴇu^X/	/siɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/siɛu^X/	/sim/
Shao Rongfen	/sjæu^X/	/sjem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/siaw^X/	/sim/
Li Rong	/siɛu^X/	/siəm/
Wang Li	/sĭɛu^X/	/sĭĕm/
Bernhard Karlgren	/si̯ɛu^X/	/si̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiǎo	xīn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	siu²	sam¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[s]ewʔ səm/

(Zhengzhang): /*smewʔ slɯm/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	小	心
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiǎo	xīn
Middle Chinese	‹ sjew^X ›	‹ sim ›
Old Chinese	/*[s]ewʔ/	/*səm/
English	small	heart
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	小	心
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	13705	13801
Phonetic component	小	心
Rime group	宵	侵
Rime subdivision	2	1
Corresponding MC rime	小	心
Old Chinese	/*smewʔ/	/*slɯm/
Notes	甲金文象沙而指小，指事字

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!
Particularly: “Teochew: siao sim? 汕头市37路公交车三语播报”

Verb

小心

(transitive) to be careful of something; to mind; to beware of
小心碰頭。／小心碰头。 ― Xiǎoxīn pèngtóu. ― Mind your head.

小心滑倒。 ― Xiǎoxīn huá dǎo. ― Caution — slippery.

小心障礙。／小心障碍。 ― Xiǎoxīn zhàng'ài. ― Beware of obstructions.

小心玻璃。 ― Xiǎoxīn bōli. ― Caution — glass door.

小心燙傷。／小心烫伤。 ― Xiǎoxīn tàngshāng. ― Caution — hot water.

小心灼傷。／小心灼伤。 ― Xiǎoxīn zhuóshāng. ― Caution — hot surface.

小心落水。 ― Xiǎoxīn luòshuǐ. ― Warning — deep water.

小心地滑。 ― Xiǎoxīn dì huá. ― Caution — slippery when wet. (literally, “Be careful of the floor being slippery.”)

请小心空隙。 ― Qǐng xiǎoxīn kōng xì. ― Please Mind The Gap. (literally, “Please be careful of the gaps.”) This announcement is played on the Singapore MRT to remind commuters to mind the platform gap.

坐公交車不小心坐過頭 [MSC, trad.]
坐公交车不小心坐过头 [MSC, simp.]
zuò gōngjiāochē bù xiǎoxīn zuò guòtóu [Pinyin]
to miss one's stop on the bus
(intransitive) to take care; to be careful
你自己小心，玩得開心點！ [MSC, trad.]
你自己小心，玩得开心点！ [MSC, simp.]
Nǐ zìjǐ xiǎoxīn, wán dé kāixīn diǎn! [Pinyin]
You take care now, and have a good time!

你路上小心啊。 ― Nǐ lùshàng xiǎoxīn a. ― Take care on the road.
(archaic, intransitive) to worry; to have misgivings
(archaic, intransitive) to be small-minded

Synonyms

(to take care): 當心／当心 (dāngxīn), 留心 (liúxīn)

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “to take care”): 粗心 (cūxīn)

Adjective

小心

careful

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 小心 (“careful”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		小心
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	小心
	Taiwan	小心
	Malaysia	小心
	Singapore	小心
Southwestern Mandarin	Guilin	小心
Cantonese	Guangzhou	小心
	Hong Kong	小心
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	小心
	Singapore (Guangfu)	小心
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	細義
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	細義
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	細義
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	細義
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	細義
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	細義
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	細膩
Southern Min	Xiamen	細膩
	Quanzhou	細膩
	Zhangzhou	細膩
	Kaohsiung	細膩
	Yilan	細膩
	Changhua (Lukang)	細膩
	Taichung	細膩
	Taichung (Wuqi)	細膩
	Tainan	細膩
	Taitung	細膩
	Hsinchu	細膩
	Kinmen	細膩
	Penghu (Magong)	細膩
	Penang (Hokkien)	細膩, 小心
	Singapore (Hokkien)	細膩, 小心
	Manila (Hokkien)	細膩, 小心
	Puning	小心
	Singapore (Teochew)	小心
	Wenchang	細心
	Singapore (Hainanese)	細心

edit

不苟 (bùgǒu) (formal)
仔細／仔细 (zǐxì)
嚴／严 (yán)
嚴肅／严肃 (yánsù)
嚴謹／严谨 (yánjǐn)
墘角 (gièng-gáe̤k) (Eastern Min)
密切 (mìqiè)
審慎／审慎 (shěnshèn) (formal)
慎密 (shènmì)
慎重 (shènzhòng)
慘淡／惨淡 (cǎndàn)
板正 (bǎnzhèng)
正經／正经
當心／当心 (dāngxīn)
精心 (jīngxīn)
精細／精细 (jīngxì)
細心／细心 (xìxīn)
細膩／细腻 (xìnì) (Min)
認真／认真 (rènzhēn)
謹嚴／谨严 (jǐnyán)
謹慎／谨慎 (jǐnshèn)
較真／较真 (jiàozhēn) (colloquial)
過細／过细 (guòxì)
鞠躬 (jūgōng) (literary)

Antonyms

粗心 (cūxīn)
大意 (dàyì)
馬虎／马虎 (mǎhu)
疏忽 (shūhu)

Interjection

小心

Be careful!; caution

Derived terms

一不小心 (yībùxiǎoxīn)
小心翼翼 (xiǎoxīnyìyì)
小心謹慎／小心谨慎 (xiǎoxīnjǐnshèn)
小心駛得萬年船／小心驶得万年船 (xiǎoxīn shǐ dé wànnián chuán)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (小心):

→ Japanese: 小(しょう)心(しん) (shōshin)
→ Korean: 소심(小心) (sosim)
→ Vietnamese: tiểu tâm (小心)