Definition
耿耿于怀 is a four-character idiom (成语) meaning you can't stop thinking about something that bothers or worries you — it's still on your mind. The literal image is 'glowing and burning in the chest'. You use it when someone keeps brooding over a past event, a grudge, or an unresolved issue, rarely for pleasant memories. It's a bit literary; in casual speech you might hear 放在心上 instead.
f.e.
to take something to heartto brood overto be unable to get something off one's mind
Examples
- 耿耿于怀，。Tā duì nà jiàn shì yìzhí gěng gěng yú huái, guò le hǎo jǐ nián hái fàng bú xià.He's been brooding over that incident for years and still can't let it go.
- 耿耿于怀，。Bié wèi le yì diǎn xiǎo shì gěng gěng yú huái, bù zhídé.Don't take such a small matter to heart; it's not worth it.
- ，耿耿于怀。Tā suīrán zuǐ shàng shuō méi guānxi, xīn lǐ què gěng gěng yú huái.Although she said it didn't matter, she was still brooding over it inside.
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