心领神会
xīn lǐng shén huì
to catch an unspoken hint at once
Character by character
心xīn
heart
heart
领lǐng
receive
receive
神shén
spirit
spirit
会huì
grasp
grasp
Example
老板使了个眼色，他马上心领神会，换了个话题。
The boss gave him a look; he caught on at once and changed the subject.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
One person picks up what was not said. In 心照不宣, both sides know and both keep quiet.
Learn this in Lesson 111 · HSK 7–9: 绕着说 (Talking around it online)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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