Chinese word dictionary

刻骨铭心

kè gǔ míng xīn · lit. carved in bones and engraved in the heart (idiom); fig. etched in one's memory; unforgettable

Practice word

Word information

Simplified刻骨铭心

Traditional刻骨銘心

Pinyinkè gǔ míng xīn

Part of speechDictionary

HSK 3.0Not listed

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

刻kè

to carve, to engrave; a quarter hour; a moment

骨gǔ

bone; skeleton; frame, framework

铭míng

to engrave, to inscribe

心xīn

heart; mind

How to learn 刻骨铭心

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

担心dānxīn

anxious; worried; uneasy; to worry; to be anxious

放心fàngxīn

to feel relieved; to feel reassured; to be at ease

关心guānxīn

to be concerned about; to care about

开心kāixīn

to feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great time; to make fun of sb

刻kè

quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals

小心xiǎoxīn

to be careful; to take care