感人肺腑 (gǎn rén fèi fǔ) — deeply touching; profoundly moving

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'deeply moving' — used for words, speeches, or stories that touch the heart in a profound, sincere way. Far stronger than everyday 感动.

idiom
deeply touchingprofoundly moving

Examples

  • 感人肺腑。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de qíng jié gǎn rén fèi fǔ.
    The plot of this movie is deeply touching.
  • 感人肺腑，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng gǎn rén fèi fǔ, hěn duō tīng zhòng liú xià le yǎn lèi.
    His speech was profoundly moving; many audience members shed tears.
  • 感人肺腑，。
    Zhè fēng xìn xiě dé gǎn rén fèi fǔ, dú wán hòu wǒ jiǔ jiǔ bù néng píng jìng.
    This letter was so touching that after reading it I couldn't calm down for a long time.

Origin

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
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
巿
巿fú肺fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

肺 combines ⺼, a form of 肉 meaning flesh, with 巿 for the sound.

Open 肺 →

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
府
府fǔ腑⁰fǔ
Same sound today

腑 is built from ⺼ (肉, flesh) and 府, which gives the sound fǔ.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.