开心
kāixīn · HSK 2
feel happy
😊 开心 = open (开) + heart (心) — an opened heart means happy
开 kāi means to open; 心 xīn means heart. An opened-up heart is the standard Chinese metaphor for joy, much like English open-hearted. Pronounced kāi-xīn, both syllables in level first tone.
开 — two hands 廾 + door 门 (open gate)
Originally written 開, showing two hands (廾) lifting the bar (一) off a gate (門) to open it. The simplified form 开 keeps the two-hands element and drops the gate. Core meaning 'to open' extended to 'start, operate, bloom'.
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.