烂在肚子里的
“keep this secret”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
本来要把这件事情
“I was going to”
烂在肚子里 的
“keep this secret”
跟我一块进骨灰盒的
“and take it to my grave.”
“This secret is so grave that I was going to take it to my grave, but now I have no choice but to tell you.”
An extreme expression for keeping secrets in Chinese culture. Reflecting the ancient adage that 'matters succeed through secrecy and fail through disclosure' ('shi yi mi cheng, yu yi xie bai'), people often use bodily containment or death imagery (the stomach, a coffin, or an urn) as metaphors for sealing a secret forever and taking it to death.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
A metaphor for keeping a secret strictly to oneself and never uttering a single word about it.
A very high-frequency colloquial idiom, often used with 'words' or 'secrets' to show firm determination to stay tight-lipped or to conceal a major truth.
Refers literally to entering an urn (cremation/death), metaphorically meaning taking something to the grave.
Used in spoken language with strong emotional, self-deprecating, or solemn overtones, equivalent to 'taking it into the coffin'.
The particle 'de' used in the 'shi... de' construction to emphasize original intent and an assertive attitude.
