肝肠寸断

肝腸寸斷

gānchángcùnduàn

idiom #53,530

Meanings

1 liver and guts cut to pieces
2 heartbroken beyond words
3 grief-stricken

Characters

to break / sever

Examples

听到噩耗，她肝肠寸断。

Tīng dào èhào, tā gān cháng cùn duàn.

When she heard the terrible news, she was utterly heartbroken.

母亲失去儿子后肝肠寸断。

Mǔqīn shīqù érzi hòu gān cháng cùn duàn.

The mother was shattered with grief after losing her son.

这首歌让多少游子肝肠寸断。

Zhè shǒu gē ràng duōshǎo yóuzǐ gān cháng cùn duàn.

How many travelers abroad have been moved to tears by this song.

Tips

history

Echoes 《战国策·燕策三》: Jing Ke, about to set out to assassinate the king of Qin, tells a friend his insides will be cut inch by inch. In Chinese, deep grief is anatomical — it literally tears up the internal organs.

Stroke Order

肝 gān

肠 cháng

寸 cùn

断 duàn