三心二意 (sān xīn èr yì)

Character breakdown

• 三 (Sān) · 3 strokes

  Three horizontal strokes, representing the number three.

• 心 (xīn) · 4 strokes

  Depicts a heart.

• 二 (èr) · 2 strokes

  Two horizontal strokes, representing the number two.

• 意 (Yì) · 13 strokes

  Thought (意) is the sound (音) that comes from the mind (心). (Oversimplified for brevity. The 音 component in this character has a complicated history.)

Usage

做事情不能三心二意，要一心一意。

You can't be half-hearted when doing things; you must be wholehearted.

Zuò shìqing bù néng sānxīn'èryì, yào yīxīnyīyì.