Literal translation
he would give away his shirt
Meaning
he'd give you the shirt off his back
Explanation
The expression describes generosity pushed to its extreme, that of someone willing to part with the very garment on their back, the last thing one might imagine owning, in order to help someone else. The shirt, an everyday garment of little market value, symbolizes here the total self-stripping the generous person would agree to, the image gaining force from the ordinariness of the object given. The conditional dounarié indicates a habitual disposition, the expression describing a lasting trait of character. It matches the French expression about giving away one's shirt almost exactly, both drawing on the same stock of images built around clothing as the last transferable possession. It is used in an affectionate, admiring register to praise someone's selfless generosity, often set against a stingier person mentioned elsewhere in the same set of expressions.