The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

刻骨铭心

kè gǔ míng xīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. carved in bones and engraved in the heart (idiom) / fig. etched in one's memory / unforgettable
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-65e8832a7385b755. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

刻骨銘心 刻骨铭心 [ke4 gu3 ming2 xin1] /lit. carved in bones and engraved in the heart (idiom)/fig. etched in one's memory/unforgettable/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 刻骨銘心

  • 刻
    kè

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

  • 骨
    gū

    used in 骨碌碌[gū lù lù] / used in 骨碌[gū lu] / used in 骨朵[gū duo]

    gǔ

    bone

  • 铭
    míng

    to engrave / inscribed motto

  • 心
    xīn

    heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.