📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'liver and gallbladder reflecting each other,' this idiom is a metaphor for treating someone with complete sincerity and genuine honesty. It describes a relationship between people who are utterly open and loyal with one another, hiding nothing. The liver and gallbladder are traditionally seen as the seats of deep emotion and courage, symbolizing one's true inner self.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记), in the biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin, where the speaker expresses a willingness to bare his heart and entrust his liver and gallbladder—meaning his utmost sincerity—to another. The Song dynasty writer Zhao Lingzhi further developed the imagery in his work 'Hou Qing Lu,' writing of kindred spirits whose hearts and gallbladders illuminate one another through a thousand springs. Over time, the expression became a standard way to describe friendships or partnerships built on absolute mutual trust and candor.
💡 Example Usage
两位老战友肝胆相照，几十年来风雨同舟，从未有过半句虚言。
The two old comrades-in-arms were utterly sincere with each other, weathering every storm together for decades without a single word of falsehood between them.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 肝胆相照
- Pinyin: gān dǎn xiāng zhào
- Literal Translation: liver, gallbladder, mutually, shine
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4