耿耿于怀 Gěng gěng yú huái to bear a grudge; to have a lingering resentment

Explanation

耿耿于怀指的是心中有难以忘怀的事情，常常萦绕于心，难以释怀。

耿耿于怀 means to have something that one cannot forget and always lingers in one's heart, difficult to let go.

Origin Story

从前，有一个名叫小明的年轻人，他从小就非常努力学习，梦想成为一名工程师。高考那年，他信心满满，觉得自己一定能考上理想的大学。然而，命运却和他开了一个玩笑。由于一场突如其来的大病，他错过了高考，与梦想失之交臂。虽然家人和朋友都给予他安慰和鼓励，但他内心深处却始终耿耿于怀，无法释怀。他常常一个人躲在房间里，默默地回忆着过去，想着如果当初没有生病，现在或许一切都会不一样。几年后，他终于战胜了疾病，重新燃起了对未来的希望。他努力工作，不断学习新的技术，用实际行动去弥补失去的时间。最终，他成为了一名优秀的工程师，实现了自己的梦想，虽然过程中充满了艰辛，但他始终没有忘记曾经的遗憾，并将这份遗憾转化为前进的动力。

cóng qián, yǒu yīgè míng jiào xiǎo míng de nián qīng rén, tā cóng xiǎo jiù fēi cháng nǔ lì xué xí, mèng xiǎng chéng wéi yī míng gōng chéng shī. gāo kǎo nà nián, tā xìn xīn mǎn mǎn, jué de zì jǐ yī dìng néng kǎo shàng lǐ xiǎng de dà xué. rán ér, mìng yùn què hé tā kāi le yīgè wán xiào. yóu yú yī chǎng tū rú qí lái de dà bìng, tā cuò guò le gāo kǎo, yǔ mèng xiǎng shī zhī jiāo bì. suī rán jiā rén hé péng yǒu dōu jǐ yǔ tā ān wèi hé gǔ lì, dàn tā nèi xīn shēn chù què shǐ zhōng gěng gěng yú huái, wú fǎ shì huái. tā cháng cháng yī gè rén duǒ zài fáng jiān lǐ, mò mò de huí yì zhe guò qù, xiǎng zhe rú guǒ dāng chū méi yǒu shēng bìng, xiàn zài huò xǔ yī qiè dōu huì bù yī yàng. jǐ nián hòu, tā zhōng yú zhàn shèng le jí bìng, chóng xīn rán qǐ le duì wèi lái de xī wàng. tā nǔ lì gōng zuò, bù duàn xué xí xīn de jì shù, yòng shí jì xíng dòng qù mí bǔ shī qù de shí jiān. zuì zhōng, tā chéng wéi le yī míng yōu xiù de gōng chéng shī, shí xiàn le zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng, suī rán guò chéng zhōng chōng mǎn le jiān xīn, dàn tā shǐ zhōng méi yǒu wàng jì céng jīng de yí hàn, bìng jiāng zhè fèn yí hàn zhuǎn huà wéi qián jìn de dòng lì.

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Xiaoming, who had worked hard since childhood to become an engineer. In the year of his college entrance examination, he was confident that he would be admitted to his ideal university. However, fate played a trick on him. Due to a sudden serious illness, he missed the exam and missed his dream. Although his family and friends comforted and encouraged him, deep down, he always harbored resentment and could not let go of it. He often hid in his room alone, silently recalling the past, thinking that if he hadn't been sick, everything might have been different. A few years later, he finally overcame his illness and rekindled hope for the future. He worked hard, constantly learning new technologies, and tried to make up for the lost time. Finally, he became an excellent engineer, realizing his dream. Although the process was full of hardships, he never forgot the past regrets and turned this regret into motivation to move forward.

Usage

用于表达心中难以忘怀的事情，多用于负面情感的表达。

yòng yú biǎo dá xīn zhōng nán yǐ wàng huái de shì qing, duō yòng yú fù miàn qíng gǎn de biǎo dá.

Used to express something that one cannot forget easily, usually associated with negative feelings.

Examples

• 这件事一直耿耿于怀，让我寝食难安。

  zhè jiàn shì yī zhí gěng gěng yú huái, ràng wǒ qǐn shí nán ān.

  This matter has been a thorn in my side, making it hard for me to eat or sleep.

• 他被冤枉的事，一直耿耿于怀，决定要洗刷冤屈。

  tā bèi yuān wàng de shì, yī zhí gěng gěng yú huái, jué dìng yào xǐ shuā yuān qū.

  He has always harbored resentment over the injustice he suffered, determined to clear his name.

Related Idioms

• 念念不忘

• 刻骨铭心

• 牵肠挂肚

Opposite Idioms

• 无动于衷

• 置之不理