人的心臟，傳統上被視為人類情感的中樞，而且决定一個人的品性。
More than any part of the human body，the heart has been given special significance and symbolic power. It is the heart that expresses the essential character of a human being, in phrases such as at heart 心內.
今日英語，heart 心，主要代表感情。In today’s English, the heart represents the seat of emotions in contrast to the reasoning of the head，人的理性來自頭部。However, formerly, the heart is also considered to be the seat of mental process, including the mind and memory。在西方，傳統上，心的功能比較廣泛，可以包括記憶力。This is seen in phrase by heart 單憑記憶, meaning from memory。
現在，愛情、熱情、人情、同情，都跟 heart 息息相關。Nowadays, we think of the heart especially with reference to love and compassion in these phrases:
heartbreak 心碎；heart-rending 令人心痛；lose your heart to someone 傾心愛上某人；cry your heart out 傷心而號啕痛哭；break someone’s heart 令對方感到極之傷心難過；have a broken heart 由於戀愛或親密關係結束了而心碎。
Adding to these emotions, we have from the bottom of my heart 從內心深處（deeply）；heart-to-heart 坦誠的交心（candidly）；and heart and soul 全心全意（completely）。
When we send for emotional supplies of courage and will，勇氣和意志力，從「心」出發，they come from the heart：we take heart 增强信心，or lose heart 喪失信心。
Heart also describes being determined to do something: He has set her heart on becoming a doctor 他下定决心，達到做醫生這個目標。
Heart can also mean centre: We live right in the very heart of the city 我的家就在市中心；a quiet hotel in the very heart of the city 一家位於市中心安靜的旅館；the hub of some places as the heart of the region 地區中心。
再舉出一些用上 heart 字的習用語：
someone’s heart hardens = he starts to feel unfriendly or unsympathetic towards you 他開始對你不再友善或失卻同情心。
someone’s heart is in the right place = he is a kind person with good intentions 他有人情味和很慷慨。
someone’s heart is in their mouth = he is very afraid 他感到十分焦慮或緊張，擔心壞事即將發生。
someone’s heart isn’t in it = he does not give all his enthusiasm, interest and energy to something 他對自已做著的事，毫不熱衷，不樂在其中。
someone’s heart sinks = he suddenly feel sad or depressed 他心裏一沉，忽然感到擔心或失落。
感性與理性
Heart 是感性的，mind 是理性的。
根據權威的《牛津大字典》（The Oxford Dictionary），heart 和 mind，有明確分野：Heart is an organ 器官，and it is the centre of a person’s thoughts and emotions 思想和感情，especially love 愛情 or compassion 同情。The dictionary defines “mind”（名詞）as “the element of a person that enables him to think［思考］and reason［推理］”，etc. It seems “mind” 思想 is the process of thinking, while “heart” 心靈 tries to express our passion and enthusiasm。英語跟漢語的習慣不同，「心」in Chinese has broader meaning than English，英漢譒譯時，we usually translate “make up our mind” as 决心，and “keep one’s minds on the job” as 專心工作。
We often say you have an open mind/a sharp mind/an enquiring mind/a suspicious mind/a sick and warped mind/a one tracked mind.
你認為某件事太過驚人、奇異、或複雜，令人無法想像或難以暸解，你可以說：my mind boggles。你從未想過這件事會發生，你可以說：it never crossed my mind，例如：It never crossed my mind that Peter would resign.
某件事，被你遺忘了：It slips your mind. 某件事，在你的回憶中：It’s in your mind’s eye.
If you are in your right mind 你思想理智，行為明智；if you are out of your mind 你理智失常，想法愚蠢，近乎發瘋。
最後，一句表示小心行事，有趣的成語：mind your p’s and q’s。這句成語，主要用來告誡人們要謹言慎行，循規蹈矩，以免冒犯別人。詞語原本的用意是提醒小孩子最初學寫字時，留心 p 和 q 這两個字母的區別，小心別要混淆了。
本專欄逢周二、五發表
