心事
xīnshì · HSK 7
worry
❤️ 心事 = 心 heart + 事 matter = a matter pressing on the heart
心 (xīn) is heart/mind and 事 (shì) is affair or matter. Stuck together they name an unsettled affair that sits on your heart — a private worry. The 心 root also drives 心情 mood and 担心 to worry.
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.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).