Expressing “careful” with 细心 and 精心.
Both of these adjectives have a similar meaning, however we should use them in different contexts.
The adjective 细心
We use 细心 
to express that an action is done thoughtfully or with care.
We usually state adverbs of degree before 细心 such as:
很
非常
十分
to express that an action is done thoughtfully or with care.
We usually state adverbs of degree before 细心 such as:
很
非常
十分 Examples
渔民细心检查他们的鱼网
Fishermen carefully check their nets
yúmín xìxīn jiǎnchá tāmen de yúwǎng
他细心地聆听，只插了几句话
He listened attentively, with only a few interjections
tā xìxīn de língtīng, zhǐ chā le jǐ jù huà
从今以后，我会更加细心
From now on, I will be more careful
cóng jīn yǐhòu, wǒ huì gèngjiā xìxīn
We usually use 细心 in the following combinations:
细心检查
细心发现
细心批改
细心发现
细心批改 The adjective 精心
We use the adjective 精心 to express that an action is done with a lot of effort or passion.
to express that an action is done with a lot of effort or passion. Pay attention
We don’t use 精心 with adverbs of degree.
Examples
精心保养可延长汽车寿命
Careful maintenance can extend the life of the car
jīngxīn bǎoyǎng kě yáncháng qìchē shòumìng
她的头发是精心打理过的
She has very well-maintained hair
tā de tóufa shì jīngxīn dǎlǐguò de
他精心设计了一台新电脑
He carefully designed a new computer
tā jīngxīn shèjì le yì tái xīn diànnǎo
We usually use 精心 in the following combinations:
精心组织
精心保管
精心安排
精心准备
精心设计
精心保管
精心安排
精心准备
精心设计 Learn more