📖 Meaning
This idiom describes speaking one's mind freely and revealing one's innermost thoughts without any reservation. It conveys complete honesty and openness, as though pouring out both one's heart and one's courage together. It is often used when someone finally tells the whole truth after holding things back.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty play 'The Pavilion of Bitter Cold' (酷寒亭) by Yang Xianzhi, written in the thirteenth century. In the first act, a character remarks that rather than pouring out one's heart and speaking candidly about marriage, people tend to resort to deceitful talk that hoodwinks both gods and ghosts just to make a living. The phrase thus originally contrasted frank honesty with cunning deception. It later became a common expression for speaking openly and sincerely, and appears in classical novels such as 'Water Margin' (水浒传) by Shi Nai'an of the Ming dynasty.
💡 Example Usage
既然只有你我二人，不如倾心吐胆，把话说个明白。
Since it's just the two of us, let's speak openly and lay everything out clearly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 倾心吐胆
- Pinyin: qīng xīn tǔ dǎn
- Literal Translation: pour out heart, reveal gall
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4