主心骨 (zhǔ xīn gū) — backbone, mainstay, pillar (the key person or force that holds a group together); one's own definite view or judgment; a clear sense of what to do
Definition
Literally 'spine of the heart': the person a group relies on for direction, or the inner steadiness to make your own judgment under pressure. Used for people and for one's own resolve.
noun
backbonemainstaypillar (the key person or force that holds a group together)one's own definite view or judgmenta clear sense of what to do
Examples
- 主心骨，。Tā shì wǒ men tuán duì de zhǔ xīn gū, méi yǒu tā dà jiā jiù méi le fāng xiàng.He is the backbone of our team; without him everyone would lose direction.
- ，主心骨，。Yù dào dà shì de shí hou, tā zǒng shì hěn yǒu zhǔ xīn gū, cóng bù huāng luàn.When faced with big issues, she always has a clear judgment and never panics.
- ，主心骨，。Zài zhè ge jiā tíng lǐ, fù qīn jiù shì zhǔ xīn gū, zhī chēng zhe yí qiè.In this family, the father is the pillar who supports everything.
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.
“主心” (central idea) combines with “骨” (bone) to suggest a backbone or core support.
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