欣

xīn

斤 + 欠

Definitions

xīn (adjective) happy; joyous; delighted

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 欠 represents the meaning and 斤 represents the sound.

Semantic: 欠 Phonetic: 斤

About

欣 is a phonosemantic compound expressing happiness, gladness, and the state of taking profound pleasure in something. The left component, 斤 (originally an axe or chopping tool), functions as a phonetic marker to indicate the pronunciation. The right component, 欠, is a semantic radical that originated as a pictograph of a person with an open mouth, yawning or exhaling; it commonly appears in Chinese characters for vocal sounds, breathing, and physical expressions of emotion such as sighing or laughing.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我很欣赏他的画。

Wǒ hěn xīnshǎng tā de huà.

I really appreciate his painting.

孩子们欣喜地打开了礼物。

Háizimen xīnxǐ de dǎkāile lǐwù.

The children opened the gift with joy.

他欣然接受了我们的邀请。

Tā xīnrán jiēshòule wǒmen de yāoqǐng.

He gladly accepted our invitation.

听到这个好消息，她感到十分欣慰。

Tīngdào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, tā gǎndào shífēn xīnwèi.

Hearing this good news, she felt very gratified.

我们怀着欣慰的心情观看了演出。

Wǒmen huáizhe xīnwèi de xīnqíng guānkànle yǎnchū.

We watched the performance with a feeling of gratification.

欣赏自然美景能让人心情愉悦。

Xīnshǎng zìrán měijǐng néng ràng rén xīnqíng yúyuè.

Appreciating the beauty of nature can make people feel happy.

他对自己取得的进步感到欣慰。

Tā duì zìjǐ qǔdé de jìnbù gǎndào xīnwèi.

He felt gratified with the progress he had made.

欣闻贵公司业务蒸蒸日上，我们感到由衷的高兴。

Xīn wén guì gōngsī yèwù zhēngzhēngrìshàng, wǒmen gǎndào yóuzhōng de gāoxìng.

We are sincerely delighted to hear that your company's business is thriving.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 斤

Component: 欠

欣