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

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): dim² sam¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): iam² lhim¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): dien³ xin / dien³ xin¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): tiám-sîm
• Jin (Wiktionary): die² xing¹
• Northern Min (KCR): dǎng-séng
• Eastern Min (BUC): diēng-sĭng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): deng³ sing¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): tiám-sim

  (Teochew, Peng'im): diam² sim¹

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁵ti-shin₁ / ⁵tie₃-sin₁ / ³tie-shin₁ / ¹ti-shin₁; ¹te-shin₁

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: diǎnxīn → diǎnxin (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄣ → ㄉㄧㄢˇ ˙ㄒㄧㄣ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: diǎnsi̊n
    • Wade–Giles: tien³-hsin⁵
    • Yale: dyǎn-syin
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dean.shin
    • Palladius: дяньсинь (djanʹsinʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵/ → /ti̯ɛn²¹⁴ ɕin⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: dim² sam¹
    • Yale: dím sām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dim² sam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: dim² sem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiːm³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: iam² lhim¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iam⁵⁵ ɬim³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: dien³ xin / dien³ xin¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiɛn²¹³⁻²¹ ɕin¹/, /tiɛn²¹³⁻¹³ ɕin⁴²/

Note: dien3 xin1 - to snack.

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tiám-sîm
    • Hakka Romanization System: diam^ˋ xim^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: diam³ xim¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ti̯am³¹ sim²⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: die² xing¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /tie⁵³ ɕiŋ¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: dǎng-séng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taŋ²¹ seiŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: diēng-sĭng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tieŋ³³⁻²¹ ^(s-)niŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: deng³ sing¹ [Phonetic: deng⁵ ning¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɛŋ⁴⁵³⁻²¹ ^(ɬ-)niŋ⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: deng³ sing¹ [Phonetic: deng⁵ ning¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɛŋ³³²⁻²¹ ^(ɬ-)niŋ⁵³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tiám-sim
    • Tâi-lô: tiám-sim
    • Phofsit Daibuun: diafmsym
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tiam⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ sim³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tiam⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ sim⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: diam² sim¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tiám sim
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiam⁵²⁻³⁵ sim³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵ti-shin₁
    • MiniDict: ti^去 shin^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²ti-xin₁
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ti³³ ɕin⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ⁵tie₃-sin₁
    • MiniDict: tie^上 sin^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /tɪ⁵² sin³³/
  • (Northern: Jiaxing)
    • Wugniu: ³tie-shin₁
    • MiniDict: tie^上 shin^平
    • Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /tie⁴⁴ ɕin⁵³/
  • (Northern: Ningbo)
    • Wugniu: ¹ti-shin₁; ¹te-shin₁
    • MiniDict: ti^平 shin^平; te^平 shin^平
    • Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /ti³³ ɕiŋ⁵¹/, /te³³ ɕiŋ⁵¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: temX sim

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
Baxter	temX	sim
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/
Bernhard Karlgren	/tiemX/	/si̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	diǎn	xīn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	dim2	sam1

Noun

點心

1. snack; light refreshment

   你沒吃晚飯吧，我這兒有點心，你拿著吃。 [MSC, trad.]
   你没吃晚饭吧，我这儿有点心，你拿着吃。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ méi chī wǎnfàn ba, wǒ zhèr yǒu diǎnxīn, nǐ ná zhe chī. [Pinyin]

   You haven't had dinner. Take this snack.

2. dim sum

   點心師傅／点心师傅 [Cantonese]  ―  dim² sam¹ si¹ fu^6-2 [Jyutping]  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   我哋食咗四五籠點心。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   我哋食咗四五笼点心。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ dei⁶ sik⁶ zo² sei³ ng⁵ lung⁴ dim² sam¹. [Jyutping]

   We had four or five baskets of dim sum.

3. pastry
4. (dialectal) (light) breakfast
5. (dialectal Wu) lunch

Synonyms

• (snack): 餐點／餐点 (cāndiǎn)
• (pastry): 糕點／糕点 (gāodiǎn), 糕餅／糕饼 (gāobǐng); (Hokkien) 糕仔, 糕仔餅／糕仔饼
• (breakfast):

Dialectal synonyms of 早餐 (“breakfast”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		朝食, 饔, 晨炊
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		早飯, 早餐
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	早飯, 早點
	Taiwan	早飯, 早餐, 早點
	Ulanhot	早上飯
	Tongliao	早上飯
	Chifeng	早飯
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	早上飯
	Harbin	早上飯, 早飯
	Shenyang	早飯
	Malaysia	早餐
	Singapore	早餐
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	點心
	Jinan	早飯, 早晨飯, 早點
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	朝飯兒, 早飯
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	清早飯
	Wanrong	早起飯
	Zhengzhou	清早起來飯
	Xi'an	乾早飯, 早飯
	Xining	早起
	Xuzhou	早點, 早上飯, 早飯
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	趕早飯
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	早飯
	Bayanhot	早飯
	Lanzhou	早飯
	Ürümqi	乾早飯, 早飯
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	早飯, 早餐
	Wuhan	早飯
	Guiyang	早飯
	Kunming	早飯
	Guilin	早餐, 早飯, 早點
	Liuzhou	早餐, 早飯, 早點
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	早飯, 點心
	Yangzhou	早飯
	Nantong	早飯
	Hefei	早飯
	Huanggang	早飯
Cantonese	Guangzhou	早餐, 朝早飯, 朝
	Hong Kong	早餐
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	早飯
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	早飯
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	早飯
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	早飯, 朝頭
	Macau	早餐
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	早餐
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	早飯
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	早餐
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	早飯, 早餐
	Foshan	早餐
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	粥
	Foshan (Shunde)	早餐
	Foshan (Sanshui)	朝早飯
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	早飯
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	早餐
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	早餐
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	早餐
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	朝早飯
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	朝早飯
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	早餐
	Taishan	早餐
	Kaiping (Chikan)	早餐
	Enping (Niujiang)	早餐
	Heshan (Yayao)	早飯
	Dongguan	早餐
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	早餐
	Shaoguan	早餐
	Yunfu	早餐
	Yangjiang	朝
	Xinyi	朝
	Lianjiang	朝
	Nanning	過早
	Wuzhou	過早
	Yulin	早朝
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	早朝
	Danzhou	早朝
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	早餐
	Singapore (Guangfu)	早餐
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	早餐
Gan	Nanchang	早飯
	Lichuan	早飯
	Pingxiang	早飯
Hakka	Meixian	朝
	Xingning	朝
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	朝, 早餐
	Huizhou (Shuikou; Bendihua)	朝
	Huizhou (Hengli; Bendihua)	朝
	Huidong (Pingshan; Bendihua)	朝
	Huidong (Daling)	朝
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	朝
	Longmen (Pingling; Bendihua)	早餐, 朝
	Longmen (Luxi; Bendihua)	朝
	Boluo (Bendihua)	早餐
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	朝
	Zengcheng (Zhengguo)	朝
	Zhongshan (Wuguishan)	朝, 早餐
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	早餐
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	朝
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	朝
	Wuhua (Changbu)	朝
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	朝
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	朝
	Zijin (Guzhu; Bendihua)	朝
	Longchuan (Tuocheng; Bendihua)	朝
	Longchuan (Sidu; Bendihua)	朝
	Heping (Linzhai; Bendihua)	朝
	Lianping (Zhongxin; Bendihua)	朝
	Lianping (Longjie; Bendihua)	朝
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	朝
	Xinfeng (Matou; Bendihua)	朝
	Xinfeng (Daxi; Bendihua)	朝
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	朝
	Liannan	朝
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	朝
	Jiexi	朝
	Changting	朝
	Wuping	朝
	Wuping (Pingyu)	朝
	Liancheng	天光
	Ninghua	朝飯
	Yudu	晨朝
	Ruijin	朝
	Shicheng	朝飯
	Shangyou (Shexi)	早晨
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	朝
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	朝
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	朝
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	朝
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	朝
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	早頓, 早, 晨早
	Hong Kong	朝, 朝飯
	Luchuan	朝
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	朝, 早點
	Sabah (Longchuan)	早餐
	Senai (Huiyang)	朝, 早餐
	Singkawang	朝
Huizhou	Jixi	早飯
	Shexian	早飯
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	天光
	Xiuning	天光
	Yixian	天光
	Qimen	點心
	Wuyuan	朝飯, 朝粥
Jin	Taiyuan	早清飯, 清早飯, 打早飯
	Pingyao	早起飯, 早晨飯
	Xinzhou	打早飯, 早起飯, 早升飯
	Taibus (Baochang)	早飯
	Linhe	早飯
	Jining	早飯
	Hohhot	早飯
	Baotou	早飯
	Dongsheng	早飯
	Haibowan	早點
Northern Min	Jian'ou	早
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	早
	Songxi	飯
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	飯
	Wuyishan	朝
	Pucheng (Shibei)	朝
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	早
	Fuqing	飯, 早
	Zhouning	飯
Southern Min	Xiamen	早頓, 早起頓, 早起
	Quanzhou	早頓, 早起頓, 早起
	Yongchun	早起
	Zhangzhou	早頓, 早起頓, 早起
	Singapore (Hokkien)	早起頓, 早起, 早餐, 早頓
	Manila (Hokkien)	早餐, 早起
	Zhangping	飯
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	飯
	Chaozhou	眠起, 早餐
	Shantou	猛早頓, 猛早, 早飯, 早糜
	Haifeng	眠早
	Bangkok (Teochew)	早餐, 早頓
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	早餐
	Singapore (Teochew)	早餐
	Leizhou	早糜, 早
	Wenchang	糜旦, 天光糜, 早
	Haikou	天光糜, 天光, 天光早糜, 天光早, 天光白糜, 天光白
	Qionghai	早糜, 早餐
	Singapore (Hainanese)	早餐
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	早餐
	Zhongshan (Sanxiang)	早餐
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	過早, 朝飯, 點心
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	早飯
Wu	Shanghai	早飯, 早點
	Shanghai (Chongming)	飯
	Suzhou	早飯
	Wuxi	早飯, 早點
	Danyang	早飯
	Hangzhou	早飯
	Ningbo	天亮飯
	Wenzhou	天光
	Jinhua	五更兒飯, 五更飯, 五更兒
	Jinhua (Tangxi)	五更
Xiang	Changsha	早飯
	Loudi	早飯
	Shuangfeng	早飯, 晨飯
	Quanzhou	早飯

• (lunch):

Dialectal synonyms of 午餐 (“lunch”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		午飯, 午餐, 午膳, 中餐, 中飯
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	午飯, 晌午飯, 晌飯, 早飯 first meal in a two meal system
	Taiwan	午餐, 午飯, 中餐
	Harbin	晌午飯, 晌飯
	Singapore	午餐
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	午飯, 晌午飯, 中午飯
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	晌飯
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	晌午飯
	Wanrong	晌午飯
	Xi'an	晌午飯
	Xining	晌午
	Xuzhou	中飯, 晌午飯
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	晌午飯
	Lanzhou	晌午
	Ürümqi	晌午飯, 中午飯
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	晌午, 午飯, 中飯
	Wuhan	中飯
	Guiyang	午飯, 中飯
	Liuzhou	晌午飯, 晌午
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	中飯
	Yangzhou	中飯
	Hefei	中飯
Cantonese	Guangzhou	晏晝飯, 晏晝, 晏
	Hong Kong	晏晝飯, 晏晝, 晏, 中午飯, 午餐, lunch
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	晏晝
	Macau	中午飯, 晏
	Macau (Tanka)	晏晝飯
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	早飯
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	晏
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	晏
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	晏晝
	Foshan	晏
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	晏
	Foshan (Sanshui)	晏晝
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	晏晝
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	晏晝
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	晏
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	晏
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	晏晝
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	晏晝
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	早朝
	Taishan	早朝, 晏晝
	Kaiping (Chikan)	早朝
	Enping (Niujiang)	早朝
	Heshan (Yayao)	晏晝
	Yangjiang	晏
Gan	Nanchang	晝飯, 中飯
	Lichuan	晝飯
	Pingxiang	中飯
Hakka	Meixian	晝
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	晏晝
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	晝
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	晝
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	晏晝
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	晏晝
	Yudu	晏晝
	Hong Kong	晝
Huizhou	Jixi	晝飯
Jin	Taiyuan	晌午飯, 中午飯
	Xinzhou	晌午飯
Northern Min	Jian'ou	晝
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	晝
	Singapore (Fuqing)	晝
Southern Min	Xiamen	下晝頓, 日晝頓, 中晝頓, 下晝, 日晝, 中晝, 晝
	Quanzhou	下晝頓, 日晝頓, 下晝, 日晝, 晝
	Zhangzhou	下晝頓, 日晝頓, 中晝頓, 下晝, 日晝
	Tainan	中晝飯, 中晝頓
	Singapore (Hokkien)	日晝頓, 日晝, 下晝頓, 下晝, 下晡頓
	Manila (Hokkien)	日晝頓, 日晝, 下晝頓, 下晝
	Chaozhou	日晝
	Shantou	日晝飯
	Jieyang	日晝, 日晝飯, 日晝頓
	Haifeng	下晝
	Singapore (Teochew)	下旰飯
	Leizhou	日晝糜
	Wenchang	日晝
	Haikou	日晝糜, 日晝
	Qionghai	日頭晝糜, 日晝
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	日晝, 日晝飯
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	早飯
Wu	Shanghai	中飯
	Shanghai (Chongming)	點心
	Suzhou	中飯
	Danyang	晝飯, 中飯
	Hangzhou	中飯
	Ningbo	晝飯, 晝過飯
	Wenzhou	日晝, 日晝廚
	Jinhua	午飯
Xiang	Changsha	中飯
	Loudi	中飯
	Shuangfeng	中飯, 晌飯, 晚飯 second meal in a two meal system

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)
  • ⇒ English: dim sim
  • → Tagalog: dimsum
• → Kavalan: tiamsim (via Min Nan)
• → Korean: 딤섬 (dimseom, “dim sum”) (via Cantonese)
• → Thai: ติ่มซำ (dtìm-sam) (via Cantonese)
• → Vietnamese: điểm sấm (“dim sum”) (via Cantonese)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
點	心
てん Hyōgai	しん Grade: 2
on'yomi

Noun

點(てん)心(しん) • (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

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
點	心

Noun

點心

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