心声
xīnshēng · HSK 7
aspiration
💗🗣️ 心 heart + 声 voice = the voice of the heart: what you truly wish for
心 (heart/mind) + 声 (sound/voice) literally stacks to heart-voice. It names the aspiration or true thought a person carries but may not say aloud — the heart speaking.
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.
声 — 士 scholar/warrior on top + 尸-like form + components (simplified from 聲)
声 is the simplified form of 聲, which originally depicted a hanging stone chime (殸) being struck, with 耳 'ear' below to show hearing. The full form combined the sound-making instrument and the act of listening, meaning 'sound' or 'voice'. The modern simplified 声 keeps only the upper portion.