[Vocabulary] Learning with a quiet heart

[Jiayun]

Hi all,

Is it normal to say "I am learning with a quiet heart"? To me, it seems that it is not my heart that is learning. It is in fact my brain which is learning. So maybe I should say "I am learning with a peaceful mind"? Or is there an alternative way for expressing this meaning which sounds more natural to a native speaker?

Thanks!

 

[Matthew Wai]

If the OP was thinking about “靜心學習” in his/her native language, I would translate it as 'studying intently and quietly'.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Given the thread title, I guess the OP wants to emphasize 'quiet'.

 

[GoesStation]

That's grammatically correct, but, if you are studying intently, it goes without saying that you are studying quietly, and so I would omit the last two words.

When I was a boy, my best friend's younger brother had extremely loud vocal tics. We called his most common one "motoring" because it was a very loud, low hum like the sound of an engine. The more intent he was on an activity, the louder he got. He was not capable of being simultaneously quiet and intent.

 

[Matthew Wai]

A student might read a textbook aloud while studying intently.

 

[Jiayun]

Matthew is right. This is a Chinese expression. Actually this is the education philosophy of a school. It is a requirement of the school that its students should learn with a "quiet heart". But I think there is no such saying in English and I wonder how it would sound more natural in English. What it means is that the students should stay focused and should not think about other things when learning. So I guess "intently" is the right word here.

 

[tedmc]

Apparently, Chinese expressions for one's mental state or mood are centred round the "heart" whereas the same expressions in English have more to do with the mind.
I think "learn with a quiet heart" is equivalent to "learn/approach a problem with a calm mind(free of distractions, worries,etc)" in English.

 

[Matthew Wai]

"learn with a quiet heart"

I suspect it doesn't make sense to native speakers because they haven't responded to it in this thread.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Have GS and I suddenly become non-native speakers?

Piscean responded to my translation.
GoesStation responded to Piscean's comment on my translation.
Neither of them directly responded to the OP's phrase.

 

[Jiayun]

Thanks all for your input! I would like to know how 'learning intently in pursuit of knowledge' sounds? Is it acceptable?

 

[GoesStation]

It sounds good to me.