虚心
xū xīn · HSK 5
modest
虚 (empty) + 心 (heart) = empty-hearted, i.e. open and modest
虚 means empty or hollow; 心 is heart/mind. An empty heart has no ego filling it, so it stays receptive — the classical sense of humble, open to learning from others.
虚 — tiger radical 虍 + hill 丘 (now 业)
Originally depicted a large mound or hill where tigers (虍) roamed, written with 虍 over 丘. Because such high places were often deserted, the meaning shifted from 'big hill' to 'empty, void, vacant,' and by extension 'unreal' or 'humble.' The bottom 丘 was later simplified to 业.
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.