📖 Meaning
丹心 means a loyal heart, and 如故 means 'as before.' This idiom describes someone whose loyalty and devotion remain unwavering and unchanged over time, steadfast as ever.
📜 Origin Story
This is a compound idiom without a single classical source text. The term 丹心 (a red heart, symbolizing absolute loyalty) appears prominently in Song Dynasty poet Wen Tianxiang's famous line '留取丹心照汗青' from his poem '过零丁洋.' The expression 丹心如故 combines 丹心 with 如故 (as before) to praise enduring loyalty, and emerged as a later literary compound rather than tracing to one specific historical anecdote.
💡 Example Usage
几十年过去了，他对事业的丹心如故。
Decades have passed, yet his loyalty to the cause remains as steadfast as ever.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 丹心如故
- Pinyin: dān xīn rú gù
- Literal Translation: red heart, as before
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4