諺語 · a single proverb
推心置腹
What does 推心置腹 (tuī xīn zhì fù) mean?
推心置腹 (tuī xīn zhì fù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "push one's heart into another's belly." In use it means: Complete openness and trust with someone. Sharing your innermost thoughts without reservation. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.
Literally: "push one's heart into another's belly."
The reading
You take your heart out and put it where the other person can hold it. That is what the phrase describes. Not a conversation. A transfer. The vulnerability is total. The trust has to be earned before the heart moves, because once it is in someone else's belly, you cannot get it back without their permission.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Later Han 後漢書 (光武帝紀)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 推心置腹 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 推心置腹 (tuī xīn zhì fù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Book of Later Han 後漢書 (光武帝紀). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 推心置腹?
In Mandarin it is tuī xīn zhì fù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 推心置腹 aloud in Mandarin.