下决心
xià jué xīn · HSK 7
to resolve
💪 下决心 = put-down (下) + decide (决) + heart (心): set your decided heart down firmly
决心 means resolve = decide (决) + heart (心). Adding 下 (to put down) gives the act of laying that decided heart down = to make up one's mind, to resolve.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.
心 — pictograph of a heart with chambers and aorta
心 is a pictograph showing a stylized heart, with strokes representing the organ's chambers and the aorta at the top. Originally meaning the physical heart, it broadened to cover mind, feelings, and intentions, since ancient Chinese thought located thinking and emotion in the heart.