司马昭之心，路人皆知 — “Sima Zhao's true intentions are obvious to everyone”
司马昭之心，路人皆知 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Sima Zhao's true intentions are obvious to everyone”. A universally known ambition or ulterior motive. Literally, “Sima Zhao's heart, all passers-by know”.
司马昭之心，路人皆知 Pronunciation and Pinyin
司马昭之心，路人皆知 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 司马昭之心，路人皆知
Origin and Story of 司马昭之心，路人皆知
During the Three Kingdoms period, after Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, died, Sima Yi and Cao Shuang became regents for Cao Rui.
After Cao Rui's death, Sima Yi eliminated Cao Shuang.
Later, Sima Shi, Sima Yi's son, installed Cao Mao as the new emperor.
However, Sima Zhao, Sima Shi's younger brother, paid no respect to Emperor Cao Mao and even threatened to be granted the title of Duke of Jin, which was a clear sign of his ambition to usurp the throne.
Outraged, Emperor Cao Mao famously exclaimed, 'Sima Zhao's heart, everyone on the street knows!' meaning Sima Zhao's treacherous intentions were obvious to all.
Idioms Related to 司马昭之心，路人皆知
More idioms starting with 司
- sī司nóng农yǎng仰wū屋Finance official helpless due to empty treasury
- sī司kōng空yǎn眼guàn惯a common sight
- sī司kōng空jiàn见guàn惯a common sight
- sī司mǎ马zhāo昭zhī之xīn心an open secret ambition
- sī司mǎ马niú牛zhī之tàn叹A lament for being utterly alone
- sī司mǎ马chēng称hǎo好a yes-man who indiscriminately agrees
- sī司mǎ马qīng青shān衫overwhelmed by extreme sadness
Recommended tools
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →Questions about 司马昭之心，路人皆知
What does 司马昭之心，路人皆知 mean?
司马昭之心，路人皆知 (sī mǎ zhāo zhī xīn ， lù rén jiē zhī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Sima Zhao's true intentions are obvious to everyone”.
How do you pronounce 司马昭之心，路人皆知?
司马昭之心，路人皆知 is pronounced sī mǎ zhāo zhī xīn ， lù rén jiē zhī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 司马昭之心，路人皆知 literally mean?
Literally, 司马昭之心，路人皆知 means “Sima Zhao's heart, all passers-by know”. It is used to mean “Sima Zhao's true intentions are obvious to everyone”.
Where does 司马昭之心，路人皆知 come from?
司马昭之心，路人皆知 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 司马昭之心，路人皆知?
路人：路上的人，指所有的人。比喻人所共知的野心。