义薄云天
yì bó yún tiān
loyalty to friends so great it reaches the sky
Character by character
义yì
loyalty
loyalty
薄bó
reach
reach
云yún
clouds
clouds
天tiān
sky
sky
Example
关羽在中国人心中是义薄云天的英雄，很多地方都有供奉他的庙。
In Chinese hearts Guan Yu is a hero whose loyalty reaches the heavens, and temples to him stand all over the country.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
薄 is bó here, “to come close to, reach” (as in 日薄西山, the sun nearing the western hills), not báo, “thin”. Mostly of 关羽 and of sworn brotherhood; between friends today it is often a joking toast to a mate who went out of his way.
Learn this in Lesson 250 · HSK 9+: 梁山好汉的绰号 (The nicknames of the Water Margin heroes)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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