📖 Meaning
One's heart feels as if it were being cut by a knife. It describes a state of deep emotional pain, sorrow, or anguish. The idiom is commonly used to convey intense grief or heartbreak.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty play 《赵礼让肥》 by playwright Qin Jianfu. In the first act, a character reflects on being separated from family and living on coarse food, expressing that recalling such hardships makes his heart ache as if sliced by a blade. The line vividly conveys the deep pain of a mother and son being torn apart by war and poverty. From this dramatic scene, the phrase entered common usage as a metaphor for overwhelming emotional suffering.
💡 Example Usage
听到孩子离世的噩耗，母亲心如刀割，泣不成声。
Upon hearing the heartbreaking news of her child's passing, the mother felt as if her heart were being cut by a knife and wept uncontrollably.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 心如刀割
- Pinyin: xīn rú dāo gē
- Literal Translation: heart, like, knife, cutting
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4