醉翁之意不在酒
Chinese
's; him/her/it; this | idea; meaning; wish idea; meaning; wish; desire; (abbr.) Italy | not; no | (located) at; in; exist (located) at; in; exist; (before verbs) immediately involved in; right in the middle of doing | alcoholic drink | |||
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trad. (醉翁之意不在酒) | 醉翁 | 之 | 意 | 不 | 在 | 酒 | |
simp. #(醉翁之意不在酒) | 醉翁 | 之 | 意 | 不 | 在 | 酒 |
Etymology
Quoted from Ouyang Xiu's Account of the Drunkard's Pavilion:
- 醉翁之意不在酒,在乎山水之間也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Song dynasty, Ouyang Xiu, 《醉翁亭記》
- Zuìwēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ, zàihū shānshuǐ zhījiān yě. [Pinyin]
- The "Old Drunk" isn't interested in alcohol but scenery of mountains and rivers.
醉翁之意不在酒,在乎山水之间也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
醉翁之意不在酒
- (figuratively) to have other intentions
- (figuratively) to have an ulterior motive
Synonyms
- (to have other intentions): 項莊舞劍,意在沛公/项庄舞剑,意在沛公 (Xiàngzhuāngwǔjiàn, yìzàipèigōng)
- (to have an ulterior motive): 別有用心/别有用心 (biéyǒuyòngxīn)