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小心翼翼

xiǎoxīnyìyì
idiom HSK 7 #11,628

Meanings

  1. 1 with utmost caution
  2. 2 very carefully
  3. 3 gingerly

Characters

小
xiǎo
small; careful
心
xīn
heart; mind
翼
yì
wing
翼
yì
wing
Literally 'careful heart, wings folded' — like a bird cautiously folding its wings

Examples

她小心翼翼地端着那杯热茶。
Tā xiǎoxīnyìyì de duānzhe nà bēi rè chá.
She carefully carried that cup of hot tea.
他小心翼翼地打开了那个古老的箱子。
Tā xiǎoxīnyìyì de dǎkāi le nàge gǔlǎo de xiāngzi.
He very carefully opened that ancient chest.
在冰面上走路要小心翼翼。
Zài bīngmiàn shàng zǒulù yào xiǎoxīnyìyì.
You need to walk very carefully on ice.

Tips

usage
小心翼翼 is the intensified form of 小心 (xiǎoxīn, careful). It often appears as 小心翼翼地 + verb to describe doing something with extreme caution.
history
From the Book of Songs (《诗经》): 小心翼翼 originally described a reverent, careful attitude toward important matters.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo
心 xīn
翼 yì