點心

See also: 点心

Chinese

		to light, to kindle; to touch briefly	heart; mind
trad. (點心)		點	心
simp. (点心)		点	心

Etymology

First appeared during the Tang dynasty, e.g. from the Book of Tang:

「唐鄭為江淮留侯，家人備夫人晨饌，夫人謂其弟曰：『治妝未畢，我未及餐，爾且可點心。』」

Tang Zheng was the official for the Jianghuai region. (One day), after the servants prepared the morning meal, Tang's wife said to his brother, 'I have not finished doing my makeup. You can have some snacks (lit. refresh your hearts) before I am ready to eat.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): diǎnxīn

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): dim² sam¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): tiám-sîm
• Min Dong (BUC): diēng-sĭng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): tiám-sim

  (Teochew, Peng'im): diam² sim¹

• Wu (Wiktionary): ti xin (T2)

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: diǎnxīn → diǎnxin (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄣ → ㄉㄧㄢˇ ˙ㄒㄧㄣ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dean.shin
    • IPA ^(key): /ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ɕin⁵⁵/ → /ti̯ɛn²¹⁴ ɕin⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: dim² sam¹
    • Yale: dím sām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dim² sam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: dim² sem¹
    • IPA ^(key): /tiːm³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tiám-sîm
    • Hakka Romanization System: diam` xim´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: diam³ xim¹
    • IPA: /ti̯am³¹ ɕim²⁴/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: diēng-sĭng
    • IPA ^(key): /tieŋ³³⁻²¹ ^(s-)niŋ⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tiám-sim
    • Tâi-lô: tiám-sim
    • Phofsit Daibuun: diafmsym
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɕim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tiam⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ɕim³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɕim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɕim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tiam⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ɕim⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: diam² sim¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tiám sim
    • IPA ^(key): /tiam⁵²⁻³⁵ sim³³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: ti xin (T2)
    • IPA ^(key): /ti³³ ɕɪɲ⁴⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: /tem^X  siɪm/▼

Rime
Character	點	心
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	端 (5)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	添 (157)	侵 (139)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	IV	III
Fanqie	多忝切	息林切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/temX/	/siɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/temX/	/sim/
Shao Rongfen	/tɛmX/	/sjem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tɛmX/	/sim/
Li Rong	/temX/	/siəm/
Wang Li	/tiemX/	/sĭĕm/
Bernard Karlgren	/tiemX/	/si̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	diǎn	xīn

Noun

點心

1. snack; light refreshment
2. dim sum
3. pastry

Synonyms

• (pastry): 糕點／糕点 (gāodiǎn), 糕餅／糕饼 (gāobǐng), (Min Nan) 糕仔餅／糕仔饼

Derived terms

• 點心紙／点心纸

Verb

點心

1. (slang) to snack to satisfy one's hunger
2. (slang) to think over; to consider; to ponder

Synonyms

• (to snack to satisfy one's hunger): 點飢／点饥 (diǎnjī)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (點心):

• → Japanese: 点 (てん)心 (しん) (tenshin, “snack; dim sum”)
• → Korean: 점심 (點心, jeomsim, “lunch”)
• → Vietnamese: điểm tâm (點心, “breakfast”)

Others:

• → English: dim sum (via Cantonese)
  • dim sim
• → Kavalan: tiamsim (via Min Nan)
• → Thai: ติ่มซำ (dtìm-sam) (via Cantonese)
• → Vietnamese: điểm sấm (“dim sum”) (via Cantonese)

---

Japanese

Kanji in this term
點	心
てん Hyōgaiji	しん Grade: 2
on’yomi

Noun

點心 (kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai kanji 点心, hiragana てんしん, rōmaji tenshin)

1. Kyūjitai form of 点心: snack; dim sum

---

Korean

Hanja in this term
點	心

Noun

點心 • (jeomsim) (hangeul 점심)

1. Hanja form^? of 점심 (“lunch, luncheon”).

---

Vietnamese

Hán tự in this word
點	心

Noun

點心

1. Hán tự form of điểm tâm (“breakfast”).