肝肠寸断

肝腸寸斷

gāncháng-cùnduàn

idiom #53,530

Meanings

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

Characters

to break / sever

Examples

HSK 3

母亲失去儿子后肝肠寸断。

Mǔqīn shīqù érzi hòu gāncháng-cùnduàn.

The mother was shattered with grief after losing her son.

HSK 4

这首歌让多少游子肝肠寸断。

Zhè shǒu gē ràng duōshǎo yóuzǐ gāncháng-cùnduàn.

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

HSK 7-9

听到噩耗，她肝肠寸断。

Tīngdào èhào, tā gāncháng-cùnduàn.

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

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