请把下面的短语翻译成英语。
Please translate the following phrase into English.
Word Breakdown
小 (xiǎo) adj. small, little
心 (xīn) n. heart
眼 (yǎn) n. small hole
儿 (r) non-syllabic diminutive suffix
Quick Answer
Definition & Usage
心眼儿 basically means one’s thoughts, mind, and vision. Actually, 心眼儿 can refer to a lot of meanings depending on different collocations. Today we are talking about the adjective collocation “小心眼儿”.
小心眼儿 generally refers to narrow-mindedness, short-sightedness, suspicious mentality, small ideas on trivial matters, etc. It’s derogatory. Usually, we can describe a man with traits of intolerance, suspicion, jealousy, and stinginess as 小心眼儿. In colloquial, don’t forget the suffix 儿.
Since 小心眼儿 has many meanings in different contexts, we can get a clearer idea about it by looking into what a “不小心眼儿的人” looks like. A man who is not “小心眼儿” may be generous, big heart, open-minded and easy-going. Now, let’s learn this adjective in example sentences.
Example Sentences
Situation one: 斤斤计较 petty, vengeful
我觉得我男朋友有点小心眼儿。上次我和他约会的时候迟到了半小时，这次我们约会，他就故意也迟到了半小时。
Wǒ juédé wǒ nán péngyǒu yǒudiǎn xiǎoxīnyǎnr. Shàng cì wǒ hé tā yuēhuì de shíhòu chídàole bàn xiǎoshí, zhè cì wǒmen yuēhuì, tā jiù gùyì yě chídàole bàn xiǎoshí.
I think my boyfriend is a little bit vengeful and petty. Last time I was half an hour late for our date, and he was also half an hour late on purpose this time.
Situation two: 小心机 scheme, thoughts
(the key word in this situation is 心眼儿, not 小心眼儿. 小 is added in front of 心眼儿 to emphasize that the thought or mind is small and unimportant)
我还不知道你那点小心眼儿？你不就是想偷会儿懒吗？
Wǒ hái bù zhīdào nǐ nà diǎn xiǎoxīnyǎnr? Nǐ bù jiùshì xiǎng tōu huì er lǎn ma?
How can I don’t know your little scheme? Don’t you just want to slack off for a while?
Situation three: 心胸狭窄 narrow-minded
人家能升职是人家干得好，你生个什么气呢？真是太小心眼儿了。
Rénjiā néng shēng zhí shì rénjiā gàn dé hǎo, nǐ shēng gè shénme qì ne? Zhēnshi tài xiǎoxīnyǎnr le.
He can get promoted because he has done a good job, why are you angry? You are so narrow-minded.
Situation four: 爱嫉妒 jealous
心眼儿小的男人就受不了自己的妻子挣钱比自己多。
Xīnyǎnr xiǎo de nánrén jiù shòubùliǎo zìjǐ de qīzǐ zhèng qián bǐ zìjǐ duō.
A man with a small mind can’t stand his wife earning more money than himself.