gān肝liverdǎn胆gallxiāng相mutuallyzhào照shine
Liver and gall shining at each other — bound by total trust and honesty.
Literal meaning
liver (肝) — gall (胆) — mutually (相) — shine (照)
Origin
From Records of the Grand Historian, describing friendships of complete openness. In classical Chinese physiology, 肝胆 (liver and gallbladder) symbolised courage and inner truth; mutual transparency of these organs meant the friends held nothing back from each other.
Examples
Wǒ我men们gān肝dǎn胆xiāng相zhào照，méi没yǒu有mì秘mì密。
We share total trust — no secrets between us.
Tā他shì是wǒ我gān肝dǎn胆xiāng相zhào照de的péng朋yǒu友。
He's a friend I can be totally open with.
Usage & nuances
Strong, slightly literary. Used for friendships of unusual depth, especially among men in older Chinese writing.
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