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铁石心肠 (tiě shí xīn cháng) — (idiom) hard-hearted; unfeeling; resolute; inflexible

Definition

Literally 'iron-stone heart and guts': idiom for someone utterly unyielding and indifferent to others' feelings. Stronger and more literary than 心狠 — it emphasizes emotional coldness rather than deliberate cruelty.

idiom
hard-heartedunfeelingresoluteinflexible

Examples

  • ，，铁石心肠。
    Miàn duì bié rén de tòng kǔ, tā jìng rán wú dòng yú zhōng, zhēn shì tiě shí xīn cháng.
    Facing others' suffering, he was actually indifferent — truly hard-hearted.
  • 铁石心肠，。
    Tā tiě shí xīn cháng dì jù jué le suǒ yǒu qiú qíng, jiān chí yī fǎ bàn shì.
    He unyieldingly rejected all pleas and insisted on handling matters according to the law.
  • ，铁石心肠。
    Bié zhǐ wàng tā huì xīn ruǎn, tā kě shì chū le míng de tiě shí xīn cháng.
    Don't expect him to soften — he's famously hard-hearted.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

铁石iron and stone
铁tiěiron石shístone
联合Coordinate
心肠heart and intestines
心xīnheart肠chángintestines
联合Coordinate

Iron and stone describe the heart and intestines, giving a picture of a hard, unfeeling disposition.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢧤
𢧤𢧤鐵tiě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

Open 铁 →

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Open 石 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腸; 肠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròubody
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng腸cháng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腸 pairs 肉, the body, with 昜, which gives the sound; the simplified 肠 is a later shorthand.

Open 肠 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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