I hear this a lot in song lyrics, and I just can't figure out what a "hot chest" is supposed to mean.
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3A good guess might be using the meaning of 胸が熱くなる (dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/215773/meaning/m0u) to interpret 熱い胸– binomJul 10, 2017 at 1:43
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2You should have looked up 胸 in a good dictionary first.– user4032Jul 10, 2017 at 9:50
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@l'électeur I did. In two different dictionaries. Yes, they do say heart as a secondary definition, but not the first one. Do you blame me?– The PandaJul 10, 2017 at 17:22
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2胸 is chest first. But, 胸 is also heart by context, because the heart is "in the chest". If your "chest is hot" it's because of a "burning passion in your heart", right? Also, @l'électeur, don't be so curt. That attitude doesn't help people trying to understand things.– psosunaJul 10, 2017 at 21:23
1 Answer
As for the definition 胸, it means chest is partially correct. To tell you the truth, 胸 has various meanings besides chest.
In my dictionary, 胸 is defined as:
1. the chest, the breast, the bosom
2. the breasts
3. the heart, the lungs
4. one's heart, one's mind
In the case of 熱い胸, 胸 means neither some organ nor part of the body, but the place where man's feeling is supposed to exist.
"熱い胸":
Literally the phrase means the hot heart, and it means elevated emotions.
In the site shown by binom's comment, there is a sentence "胸が熱くなる", that is a sentence closely corresponding to "熱い胸", which means "someone is moved by something so they become in the state of elevated emotions."