司马昭之心 — “A universally recognized ulterior motive or ambition”

司马昭之心 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a universally recognized ulterior motive or ambition”. Especially for seizing power. Literally, “Sima Zhao's heart/mind”.

Frequency

司马昭之心 Pronunciation and Pinyin

司马昭之心 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
司	sī	5	manage, control, or operate
马	mǎ	3	horse, big, large
昭	zhāo	9	bright, clear, manifest
之	zhī	4	possessive or connective particle
心	xīn	4	heart, mind, core

Example Sentence with 司马昭之心

他表面上说要帮助大家，可实际上大家都知道，他那司马昭之心路人皆知，只是想独占功劳罢了。

He superficially claimed to want to help everyone, but in reality, his ulterior motive, like Sima Zhao's ambition, was obvious to all; he merely wanted to claim all the credit for himself.

Origin and Story of 司马昭之心

After Sima Yi eliminated Cao Shuang, he seized real power in the Wei kingdom. Upon Sima Yi's death, his son Sima Shi took control. Sima Shi ruthlessly purged his opponents, deposed the young Wei Emperor Cao Fang, and installed Cao Mao in his place. He also launched campaigns against rebellious local forces.

After Sima Shi's death, his younger brother Sima Zhao became the Grand General. The Sima family—father and sons—grew successively more powerful and autocratic, pushing Emperor Cao Mao to his breaking point.

One day, Cao Mao confided in three close ministers, declaring, "Sima Zhao's ambition is evident even to passers-by, and I can no longer tolerate it. Today, I will personally lead the charge against him." He then dramatically threw a prepared edict to the ground, stating, "I have made up my mind; I am not afraid to die." He then returned to the palace.

However, two of the three ministers immediately slipped away to inform Sima Zhao. When the twenty-year-old Cao Mao rallied the palace's imperial guards and eunuchs, rushing out from the palace gates with a clamor, they were swiftly surrounded by Sima Zhao's troops. Ultimately, Emperor Cao Mao was killed.