小心翼翼 xiǎoxīn-yìyì cautious
(idiom) cautious; careful; prudent
How to remember 小心翼翼: 小 small + 心 heart + 翼 wings = cautious.
Characters
How it is used
- Idiom: extremely careful, gingerly - 他小心翼翼地捧着花瓶 (tā xiǎoxīn yìyì de pěng zhe huāpíng) he cradled the vase with utmost care.
- Stronger and more vivid than plain 小心 (xiǎoxīn); paints someone handling something delicate or a tense situation.
- Typically adverbial with 地 before a verb of handling/moving.
Example sentences
- 她小心翼翼地走。 Tā xiǎoxīnyìyì de zǒu.She walked very carefully.
- 警察小心翼翼地抬起箱子。 Jǐngchá xiǎoxīnyìyì de táiqǐ xiāngzi.The policeman lifted the box carefully.
- 我妈妈小心翼翼地打开门。 Wǒ māmā xiǎoxīnyìyì de dǎkāimén.My mother opened the door very carefully.