📖 Meaning
To share the same heart and courage; to be of one mind and one resolve. It describes people who are united in purpose and willing to face challenges together with a single determination.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Ming dynasty novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (《三国演义》) by Luo Guanzhong, specifically Chapter 88. In the story, Meng Huo's subordinate proposes that if the Prime Minister (Zhuge Liang) releases them, they would rally their troops, unite in heart and courage, and only then formally submit. The idiom later appeared in Feng Menglong's 'Jingshi Tongyan' (《警世通言》), where a wife is urged to advise her husband kindly and stand united with him in building their household.
💡 Example Usage
兄弟二人同心合胆，一起把家业撑了起来。
The two brothers, of one heart and one courage, held up the family estate together.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 同心合胆
- Pinyin: tóng xīn hé dǎn
- Literal Translation: same, heart, joined, gall-bladder
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4