  The anisotropy in the electronic structure of the inherently nanolaminated
ternary phase Cr$_{2}$GeC is investigated by bulk-sensitive and element
selective soft x-ray absorption/emission spectroscopy. The angle-resolved
absorption/emission measurements reveal differences between the in-plane and
out-of-plane bonding at the (0001) interfaces of Cr$_{2}$GeC. The Cr $L_{2,3}$,
C $K$, and Ge $M_{1}$, $M_{2,3}$ emission spectra are interpreted with
first-principles density-functional theory (DFT) including core-to-valence
dipole transition matrix elements. For the Ge $4s$ states, the x-ray emission
measurements reveal two orders of magnitude higher intensity at the Fermi level
than DFT within the General Gradient Approximation (GGA) predicts. We provide
direct evidence of anisotropy in the electronic structure and the orbital
occupation that should affect the thermal expansion coefficient and transport
properties. As shown in this work, hybridization and redistribution of
intensity from the shallow $3d$ core levels to the $4s$ valence band explain
the large Ge density of states at the Fermi level.
