📖 Meaning
To change one's mind and attitude, reconsidering and reversing a previous decision or intention. It describes someone who was set on a course of action but then shifts their thinking back to a different position.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Song dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi's 'Zhuzi Yulei' (Conversations of Master Zhu), where he criticizes people whose hearts daily give rise to countless selfish calculations yet never once turn their minds back to reflect on what is right. The expression later became a common idiom in vernacular literature, frequently appearing in Ming and Qing novels such as 'Dream of the Red Chamber.' It captures the human capacity to reverse a stubborn stance and adopt a new attitude.
💡 Example Usage
经过朋友一番劝说，他终于回心转意，决定放弃那项冒险的计划。
After his friends' persuasion, he finally changed his mind and decided to abandon that risky plan.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 回心转意
- Pinyin: huí xīn zhuǎn yì
- Literal Translation: return, heart, turn, mind
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4