忖 (cǔn) - to speculate & to consider

忖Tone 3

cǔn ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 忄

橙丁

忖 · cǔn

to speculate;

to consider;

to ponder;

to measure or guess someone's thoughts.

to speculateto considerto ponder

Usage highlights

to guess someone's thoughtsto ponder and considerto speculate inwardlyto deliberateto measure someone's mindto consider carefully

Synonyms

  • 思量— to consider, to think over
  • 揣度— to estimate, to conjecture
  • 推测— to infer, to guess

Antonyms

  • 冲动— impulsive (acting without consideration)
  • 武断— arbitrary, dogmatic

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I tried to guess his thoughts (忖度).
  • She pondered the meaning of the poem (忖量).
  • It's hard to measure another's heart (人心难忖).

Collocations

  • to guess someone's thoughts(忖度)
  • to ponder and consider(忖量)
  • to speculate inwardly(暗忖)
  • to deliberate(思忖)
  • to measure someone's mind(忖心)
  • to consider carefully(细忖)

Idioms

  • To conjecture about another's thoughts(忖度人心)
  • To deliberate and consider(思忖再三)
  • To speculate secretly(暗自忖度)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character combines the heart/mind radical (忄) with 寸 (a unit of measurement), literally 'measuring the heart', reflecting the concept of introspection.
  • Commonly used in classical Chinese literature to describe the act of contemplating or guessing another's intentions.

FAQ