The word 小心 is formed by combining two pictographic and conceptual characters: 小, meaning "small", and 心, meaning "heart". Its formation is fundamentally ideographic, creating a compound meaning not through grammar but through a vivid metaphorical image. It visually and conceptually suggests the idea of "making your heart small" or "contracting your attention", which in traditional Chinese thought implies being guarded, focused, and restrained, thereby directly conveying the sense of "being careful" or "taking caution".