野心
yěxīn · HSK 7
ambition
🐺 野心 = 野 wild + 心 heart; a wild, untamed heart that wants more = ambition
The two characters literally combine wild (野) and heart (心). A heart gone wild chases power and status, so the word leans negative: raw greed or careerism, not just healthy drive.
野 — 里 (village) + 予 (phonetic)
Originally written 埜 (forest 林 over earth 土), depicting wild land beyond cultivated fields. The modern form 野 combines 里 (village/settled land) with 予 as a phonetic component, keeping the meaning of open country, wilderness, or untamed.
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.