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忠心耿耿 (zhōng xīn gěng gěng) — completely loyal and devoted, unwavering in allegiance

Definition

An idiom meaning 'completely loyal and devoted, never wavering' — a stronger, more literary way to say 忠诚, emphasizing unwavering allegiance over time.

idiom
completely loyal and devotedunwavering in allegiance

Examples

  • 忠心耿耿，。
    Tā yì zhí duì zǔ guó zhōng xīn gěng gěng, cóng wèi dòng yáo.
    He has always been completely loyal to his country, never wavering.
  • 忠心耿耿，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo yuán gōng duì gōng sī zhōng xīn gěng gěng, gōng zuò le sān shí nián.
    This veteran employee is loyal and devoted to the company, having worked for thirty years.
  • ，忠心耿耿，。
    Zài kùn nan shí kè, tā yī rán zhōng xīn gěng gěng, zhī chí wǒ men.
    In difficult times, he remained loyal and devoted, supporting us.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

忠心loyal heart
忠zhōngloyal心xīnheart
偏正Modifier + head
耿耿steadfast
耿gěngbright/troubled耿gěngbright/troubled
重叠Reduplication

忠 and 心 give 'loyal heart', and 耿耿 adds a vivid sense of steadfast devotion.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng忠zhōng
Same sound today

忠 pairs 心, meaning heart, with 中, which gives its sound.

Open 忠 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěr
Sound part声符shēngfú
烓
烓wēi耿gěng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耿 pairs 耳, the meaning part, with a shortened 烓, the sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěr
Sound part声符shēngfú
烓
烓wēi耿gěng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耿 pairs 耳, the meaning part, with a shortened 烓, the sound part.

Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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