居心叵测 — “To harbor evil intentions”
居心叵测 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to harbor evil intentions”. To have ulterior motives that are hard to fathom. Literally, “intentions impossible to fathom”.
Frequency
居心叵测 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 居jū
- 心xīn
- 叵pǒ
- 测cè
居心叵测 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 居心叵测
他总是对新来的同事过分热情，让人觉得他居心叵测，不知道想从别人那里得到什么。
He is always overly enthusiastic towards new colleagues, making one feel he harbors ulterior motives, unsure of what he wants to gain from others.
Origin and Story of 居心叵测
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao planned to attack Sun Quan and Liu Bei. Fearing that Ma Teng of Liang Province might rebel, Cao Cao followed his advisor Xun You's suggestion: he offered Ma Teng the title of "General Who Conquers the South" and lured him to Xuchang, where he intended to kill him.
Ma Teng's nephew, Ma Dai, warned him that Cao Cao was a person with ulterior motives (居心叵测) and could not be trusted. However, Ma Teng did not heed the warning and went to Xuchang with his son Ma Xiu, only to be tragically killed by Cao Cao.
Idioms Related to 居心叵测
Synonyms of 居心叵测
Antonyms of 居心叵测
More idioms starting with 居
- jū居xià下shàn讪shàng上subordinates mock superiors behind their back
- jū居bù不chóng重xí席Live a frugal and simple life
- jū居bù不chóng重yīn茵live a frugal and simple life
- jū居zhī之bù不yí疑feel perfectly justified in one's place
- jū居rén仁yóu由yì义uphold benevolence and act righteously
- jū居tíng停zhǔ主rén人lodging host
- jū居lì利sī思yì义consider righteousness when faced with profit
- jū居gōng功zì自ào傲become arrogant due to past achievements
- jū居gōng功zì自mǎn满rest on laurels
- jū居dà大bù不yì易Living in a big city is not easy
- jū居ān安wàng忘wēi危forget danger in times of peace
- jū居ān安sī思wēi危prepare for danger in times of peace
Questions about 居心叵测
- What does 居心叵测 mean?
- 居心叵测 (jū xīn pǒ cè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to harbor evil intentions”.
- How do you pronounce 居心叵测?
- 居心叵测 is pronounced jū xīn pǒ cè in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 居心叵测 literally mean?
- Literally, 居心叵测 means “intentions impossible to fathom”. It is used to mean “to harbor evil intentions”.
- Where does 居心叵测 come from?
- 居心叵测 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 居心叵测?
- 居心：存心；叵：不可；测：推测。指存心险恶，不可推测。