𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹.

Images: L (Heart written in oracle bone script), M (Heart, by Jameson Yap), R(By Heart exhibition by Jameson Yap)

After a coaching session yesterday, I stopped by Tsutaya Bookstore and came across an exhibition of Jameson Yap’s calligraphy. I’ve seen his work before, and I find myself drawn to his brushstrokes. Simple, yet profound.

Particularly, I got drawn to the word “心”(xīn).

In Chinese, the word 心 (xīn) means heart.

But it has never been just a beating organ from the beginning.

Get Ai Chen Lim’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

To the ancients, the heart wasn’t separate from the mind. It was the starting point of everything. It’s where our thoughts, emotions, intentions, and spirit reside.

The philosopher 孟子, Meng Zi, said: “The heart is a feeling organ” (心之官則思，思則得之，不思則不得也。The function of the heart is to think. If you think, you will get it; if you do not think, you will not get it). It may seem abstract, yet it resonates deeply.

In oracle bone script, one of the earliest forms of Chinese writing, 心 resembled the shape of an actual heart. As the language evolved, this character became what we now call a radical, a key component within many other words. Like a root beneath the soil, a radical often carries implicit meaning quietly, but shaping the character from within.

You’ll often find 心 in the form of 忄, tucked beside characters that speak of how we feel and respond within:

愛 (ài) — love (a character I hold close, as it’s in my name)
思 (sī) — to think
恕 (shù) — forgiveness
志 (zhì) — will or aspiration
惜(xī) — to cherish, to value
悔 (huǐ) — regret
恨 (hèn) — hatred
怕(pà) — fear

To love (愛) is to give your heart.
To forgive (恕) is to soften your heart.
To remember your purpose is to return to your heart. (不忘初心)

In daily life, the word 心 shows up very often:
心诚则灵 (xīn chéng zé líng) — When the heart is sincere, things respond.
心有灵犀 (xīn yǒu líng xī) — A deep heart-to-heart connection, beyond words.
心安理得 (xīn ān lǐ dé) — Peace of mind from doing what feels right.

Each one, in its own way, describes a movement of or involving the heart.

I always believe that language carries warmth. And in Chinese, that warmth often begins with this one character: 心.

If you ever want to understand the soul of the language, perhaps begin here with the heart of it all.

A random post. Have a blessed day all!