心肝 (xīn gān) — darling, sweetheart; conscience, moral sense; (colloquial) guts, nerve
Definition
心肝 (xīn gān) has two opposite flavors: an intimate term of endearment ('darling/sweetheart'), and in more formal/negative contexts the seat of one's moral sense or nerve. Context — '我的小' vs '没有' — disambiguates the affectionate vs moral reading.
noun
darlingsweetheartconsciencemoral sense(colloquial) gutsnerve
Examples
- ：'心肝。'Mā ma duì hái zi shuō: ' nǐ shì wǒ de xīn gān. 'Mother says to the child: 'You are my darling.'
- 心肝，。Zhè ge rén méi yǒu xīn gān, lián fù mǔ dōu bù guǎn.This person has no conscience; he doesn't even care about his parents.
- ，。Tā zhēn yǒu xīn gān, gǎn yí gè rén qù tàn xiǎn.He really has guts; he dares to go exploring alone.
Appears in
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