📖 Meaning
This idiom describes being grieved or heartbroken to the extreme. It conveys a sorrow so profound that it penetrates deeply into one's very being. The imagery suggests pain that reaches the marrow of one's bones, signifying an unbearable level of emotional suffering.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Book of the Later Han' (后汉书), specifically in the biography of Yuan Shao. During the late Eastern Han period, it was used to describe how wise and perceptive individuals felt profound anguish over the political turmoil and chaos of their time. The expression highlights the depth of their sorrow as they witnessed the collapse of order. It later appeared in the 'Records of the Three Kingdoms' (三国志) in the biography of Sun Qian of Shu, where speakers expressed shared grief over unfortunate circumstances.
💡 Example Usage
听闻故乡遭逢战乱，百姓流离失所，他痛心入骨，彻夜难眠。
Hearing that his homeland had fallen into war and the people were displaced, he was heartbroken to the core and could not sleep all night.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 痛心入骨
- Pinyin: tòng xīn rù gǔ
- Literal Translation: ache heart, enter bone
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4