用心 yòngxīn motive
motive; intention; to be diligent or attentive; careful
How to remember 用心: 用 to use (Kangxi radical 101) + 心 heart = motive.
Characters
How it is used
- To put your heart into it / be attentive and careful - 用心学习 (yòngxīn xuéxí) study attentively, 很用心 (hěn yòngxīn) really devoted.
- But as a noun it flips to 'motive/intention', often a hidden or bad one - 别有用心 (bié yǒu yòngxīn) to have ulterior motives.
- So context decides tone: praise (devoted) vs suspicion (scheming).
Example sentences
- 学生们用心学习了很多首诗。 Xuéshēng men yòngxīn xuéxí le hěnduō shǒushī.The students learned many poems by heart.