下狠心

xiàhěnxīn

phrase #90,827

Meanings

1 to resolve (to do something difficult)
2 to harden one's heart
3 to make up one's mind

Characters

put down / make

ruthless / hard

Examples

他终于下狠心戒烟了。

Tā zhōngyú xià hěnxīn jièyān le.

He finally made up his mind to quit smoking.

我下狠心把旧家具全卖了。

Wǒ xià hěnxīn bǎ jiù jiājù quán mài le.

I steeled myself and sold off all the old furniture.

要减肥就得下狠心。

Yào jiǎnféi jiù děi xià hěnxīn.

If you want to lose weight, you have to be tough on yourself.

Tips

usage

Used when a decision requires overcoming reluctance or sentiment. Compare with 下决心 (xià juéxīn, make a determined decision), which is neutral; 下狠心 specifically suggests cruelty toward oneself or harshness toward something one would rather not give up.

Stroke Order

下 xià

狠 hěn

心 xīn