Understanding "成心" - Chinese Word Explanation

1. Basic Information

• Word: 成心
• Pinyin: chéng xīn
• Literal Meaning: “formed mind” or “settled intention”
• Primary Meaning: deliberately; intentionally; on purpose, often with a negative or blaming tone

2. In-depth Explanation

• Context and Usage: 成心 is used when someone does something intentionally, especially when the action causes trouble, inconvenience, embarrassment, or harm. It is close in meaning to 故意, but 成心 often feels more emotional or accusatory. When you say someone is 成心 doing something, you usually imply that they had a clear intention and may even be trying to annoy or hurt someone.

For example, if someone keeps interrupting you while you are speaking, you might say they are 成心 interrupting you. This means you believe they are not doing it by accident.

成心 is commonly used in spoken Chinese and often appears in complaints, arguments, or situations where someone suspects another person’s intention.

• Character Breakdown:
  成 means “to become,” “to complete,” or “to form.”
  心 means “heart” or “mind.”
  Together, 成心 suggests that an intention has already been formed in the mind, so the action is done deliberately rather than accidentally.

3. Example Sentences

• Chinese: 你是不是成心气我？
• Pinyin: Nǐ shì bú shì chéng xīn qì wǒ?

• English: Are you trying to make me angry on purpose?

• Chinese: 他不是不小心，他是成心这么做的。

• Pinyin: Tā bú shì bù xiǎo xīn, tā shì chéng xīn zhè me zuò de.

• English: He did not do it accidentally; he did it deliberately.

• Chinese: 她成心迟到，让大家都等她。

• Pinyin: Tā chéng xīn chí dào, ràng dà jiā dōu děng tā.
• English: She was deliberately late, making everyone wait for her.

Cultural Notes (if applicable)

In Chinese communication, accusing someone of being 成心 can sound quite strong because it questions the person’s intention. It suggests that the speaker believes the other person acted with awareness and possibly with bad motives. Because of this, 成心 is often used in emotional situations, such as arguments between friends, family members, or coworkers.

A softer and more neutral word is 故意, which also means “on purpose.” However, 成心 can sound more personal, as if the speaker feels targeted.

Conclusion

成心 means doing something intentionally or on purpose, usually with a negative implication. To remember it, think of 成 as “formed” and 心 as “mind”: the person already had the intention formed in their mind before acting. Use 成心 when you want to say that someone did something deliberately, especially when their action caused annoyance or harm.