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小心谨慎
小心谨慎
小心谨慎
小心谨慎
小心谨慎
小心谨慎
小心谨慎
小心谨慎

小心谨慎 — “To be extremely careful and circumspect in one's words and actions”

小心谨慎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely careful and circumspect in one's words and actions”. Taking great care to avoid mistakes or oversight. Literally, “careful and cautious”.

Frequency

小心谨慎 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 小xiǎo
  • 心xīn
  • 谨jǐn
  • 慎shèn

小心谨慎 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
小
xiǎo3small, little, young, minor
心
xīn4heart, mind, core
谨
jǐn13be cautious and respectful
慎
shèn13be careful, cautious, discreet

Example Sentence with 小心谨慎

她在实验室里操作精密仪器时总是小心谨慎,生怕出错
She is always careful and cautious when operating precision instruments in the laboratory, for fear of making a mistake.

Origin and Story of 小心谨慎

During the Western Han Dynasty, Huo Guang, the half-brother of General Huo Qubing, was appointed as Guanglu Dafu (Grand Master of Ceremonies). Whenever the emperor traveled, Huo Guang always accompanied him. He was always extremely careful and cautious when entering and leaving the imperial palace, never making any mistakes.

Emperor Wu of Han greatly favored him and appointed him as Da Sima (Grand Marshal).

After Emperor Wu's death, he, along with Censor Grandee Sang Hongyang, assisted Emperor Zhao of Han, Liu Fuling, in governing.

Idioms Related to 小心谨慎

Synonyms of 小心谨慎

  • jǐn谨xiǎo小shèn慎wēi微overly cautious and timid

Antonyms of 小心谨慎

  • cū粗xīn心dà大yì意careless and negligent
  • cū粗zhī枝dà大yè叶careless and sloppy

More idioms starting with 小

  • xiǎo小bù不rěn忍zé则luàn乱dà大móu谋Impatience in small things spoils great plans
  • xiǎo小chǒu丑tiào跳liáng梁Insignificant villains stirring up mischief
  • xiǎo小zhōng中jiàn见dà大see the big in the small
  • xiǎo小rén人dé得zhì志petty person achieves success
  • xiǎo小xìn信wèi未fú孚Small trust not yet convinced
  • xiǎo小tōu偷xiǎo小mō摸to engage in petty theft
  • xiǎo小ér儿pò破zéi贼youngster achieves great accomplishments
  • xiǎo小guān冠zi子xià夏a person with poor eyesight
  • xiǎo小shòu受dà大zǒu走endure minor punishment, flee severe beating
  • xiǎo小qì器yì易yíng盈narrow-minded, easily conceited
  • xiǎo小guó国guǎ寡mín民small country with few people
  • xiǎo小dà大yóu由zhī之applicable to both large and small matters

Questions about 小心谨慎

What does 小心谨慎 mean?
小心谨慎 (xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be extremely careful and circumspect in one's words and actions”.
How do you pronounce 小心谨慎?
小心谨慎 is pronounced xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 小心谨慎 literally mean?
Literally, 小心谨慎 means “careful and cautious”. It is used to mean “to be extremely careful and circumspect in one's words and actions”.
Where does 小心谨慎 come from?
小心谨慎 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 小心谨慎?
形容言行慎重,不敢疏忽。
Copy the pinyin for 小心谨慎 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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