醉翁之意不在酒
zuì​wēng​zhī​yì​bù​zài​jiǔ

to have an ulterior motive

  • created sense approved 醉翁之意不在酒 · zuì​wēng​zhī​yì​bù​zài​jiǔ · to have an ulterior motive — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    醉翁之意不在酒

    zuì​wēng​zhī​yì​bù​zài​jiǔ

    to have an ulterior motive

    the wine-lover's heart is not in the cup; to have hidden intentions or be pursuing a different goal than what is stated; (originally) of an interest in the beauty of nature rather than the wine itself

    zuì​wēng​zhī​yì​bú​zài​jiǔ

    醉翁 (literal) → 醉翁 · zuì​wēng · drunkard 之 (literal) → 之 · zhī · [possessive] 意 (literal) → 意 · yì · desire 不在 (literal) → 不在 · bù​zài · not depend on 酒 (literal) → 酒 · jiǔ · alcohol

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense