精心
jīng xīn · HSK 7
with utmost care
❤️ 精 refined/essence + 心 heart = a refined heart, doing things meticulously
精 carries the sense of refined, polished, essence; 心 is heart or mind. Together: putting your most refined heart into a task, hence with utmost care and meticulous attention.
精 — rice 米 + blue/green 青 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 米 (rice) gives the meaning, while 青 supplies the sound. Originally referred to polished, refined rice — grain with the husk removed. The sense broadened to 'refined, pure, essence,' and later 'fine, skilled, spirit.'
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.