📖 Meaning
To bare one's heart and pour out one's innermost feelings with complete sincerity. It also describes being deeply loyal and devoted. It is equivalent to the more common idiom "披肝沥胆" (pī gān lì dǎn).
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the well-known phrase "披肝沥胆" (to expose one's liver and drip one's gallbladder). The characters 披 (to lay open) and 沥 (to drip or pour) are combined with 肝膈 (liver and diaphragm), representing one's innermost organs, to symbolize total sincerity and the willingness to reveal everything in one's heart. The metaphor of exposing internal organs to demonstrate loyalty and candor has deep roots in classical Chinese literature, frequently appearing in memorials and letters where officials expressed unwavering devotion to their sovereign. Over time, the expression came to describe any heartfelt, sincere exchange between people.
💡 Example Usage
他披沥肝膈，向老友倾诉了多年来的委屈。
Baring his heart, he poured out the grievances he had harbored for years to his old friend.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 披沥肝膈
- Pinyin: pī lì gān gé
- Literal Translation: expose, drip, liver, diaphragm
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4