Meaning
心理 refers to the mental or psychological processes, thoughts, and emotional states within a person. It encompasses both the academic field of psychology and everyday descriptions of someone's mental condition or way of thinking.
Usage
Commonly used in both formal academic contexts (psychology as a discipline) and everyday speech (describing someone's mental state or mindset). Often appears in compounds like 心理学 (psychology as a subject), 心理医生 (psychologist), or 心理压力 (psychological pressure). It's more formal than colloquial terms for feelings.
Examples
- 01考试前他有很大的心理压力。.He has a lot of psychological pressure before exams.
- 02她在大学学习心理学。.She studies psychology at university.
Characters
Common collocations
- 心理压力psychological pressure; mental stress
- 心理健康mental health
- 心理医生psychologist; therapist
- 心理素质psychological quality; mental fortitude
Antonyms
Origin
Literally combines 'heart/mind' (心) with 'principle/reason' (理) to mean 'the principles of the mind.' This term was coined in modern Chinese as a translation for Western psychological concepts in the early 20th century.