📖 Meaning
Describes someone who is profoundly loyal, steadfast, and devoted in heart. The reduplicated 耿耿 conveys an unwavering, single-minded dedication that never wavers. It is typically used of a person's allegiance to a leader, cause, country, or organization.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Qing dynasty novel 镜花缘 (Flowers in the Mirror) by 李汝珍, chapter 57. The line is spoken in the novel's storyline set during the Tang dynasty, when loyalists conspire against the rule of Empress Wu Zetian to restore the Tang. A character is told that although his father died for the country and the great cause was not yet accomplished, his steadfast loyalty would ensure his name lived on forever. The expression later became a standard way to praise wholehearted loyalty, and was reused by later writers such as 蔡东藩 in 民国通俗演义.
💡 Example Usage
他对这家公司忠心耿耿，一干就是三十年。
He served the company with wholehearted loyalty, working there for thirty years straight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 忠心耿耿
- Pinyin: zhōng xīn gěng gěng
- Literal Translation: loyal, heart, devoted, devoted
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4