粗心大意

cūxīndàyì
idiom HSK 7 #23,661

Meanings

  1. 1 careless
  2. 2 negligent
  3. 3 sloppy

Characters

Literally 'rough heart, broad attention' — too careless to notice details

Examples

Tā zuòshì zǒngshì cūxīndàyì, jīngcháng chūcuò.
He's always careless in his work and often makes mistakes.
Kǎoshì de shíhou bù néng cūxīndàyì.
You can't be careless during exams.

Tips

usage
粗心大意 is a four-character idiom (成语) that can be shortened to just 粗心 in casual speech. The full form is more emphatic and often used in criticism or self-reflection.
memory
Picture someone with a 'rough heart and big careless thoughts' — their mind is too broad to catch the small details.

Stroke Order

xīn