Reader's question:  

I have always got my rib in my heart.

Could you explain "get my rib in my heart"?

My comments:

The rib refers to Adam's rib.

Adam, of course, is the husband of Eve.

Christians believe that God created man and the universe. He created Adam (from mud) and, then, Eve thus (Bible, Genesis 2:20-24):

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her to the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Thus and so Adam and Eve became husband and wife.

Therefore, if some Christian says he has got his rib in his heart, it means that he is faithful to his wife, never forgets her, has her best interests at heart and so forth.

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本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.