‘Hǎo xīn’ literally means 'good heart' and refers to a sincere, kind, and well-intentioned attitude — the inner motivation to help or benefit others without expecting anything in return. It emphasizes moral warmth and benevolence rather than mere politeness or surface-level courtesy.

This noun is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese to describe someone’s underlying intention or character trait. It often appears in evaluations of behavior (e.g., ‘He meant well’), in cautionary phrases (e.g., ‘Good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes’), or in gratitude (e.g., ‘I appreciate your goodwill’). Unlike adjectives like ‘kind’ or ‘nice’, 好心 functions as a countable or uncountable noun — you can say ‘a good heart’, ‘his goodwill’, or ‘with good intentions’ — and frequently pairs with verbs like 有 (yǒu, ‘to have’), 表示 (biǎoshì, ‘to express’), or 出发 (chūfā, ‘to originate from’).