心情
xīnqíng · HSK 2
frame of mind
💭 心 (heart) + 情 (feeling) = heart-feeling, i.e. mood
Compound: 心 means heart/mind, 情 means feeling/emotion. Together they form the everyday word for mood or frame of mind. 情 itself is 忄(heart radical) + 青 (qīng) as the phonetic, hinting at the xīnqíng reading.
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.
情 — heart radical 忄 + 青 (qīng)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 signals that the meaning involves feelings or inner states, while 青 supplies the sound 'qing'. Originally referring to genuine feelings or emotion arising from the heart, 情 expanded to cover sentiment, affection, and circumstances or situations more broadly.