心怀叵测 xīn huái pǒ cè sinister

Explanation

形容一个人存心险恶，不可捉摸。

Describes someone whose intentions are evil and unpredictable.

Origin Story

话说三国时期，曹操统一北方后，野心勃勃，准备南下攻打孙权和刘备。曹操深知凉州刺史马腾势力强大，又与他素有嫌隙，担心马腾会趁机作乱，便设计将他骗到许都，然后将其杀害。曹操的谋士荀攸曾劝诫道：“马腾此人，心怀叵测，不可不防。”曹操表面上对马腾礼遇有加，暗地里却布下天罗地网。马腾起初不相信自己侄子马岱的警告，以为曹操对他并无恶意，便带着儿子马休一同前往许都。结果，马腾父子落入曹操的圈套，惨遭杀害。这便是历史上有名的“马腾之死”，也体现了曹操心怀叵测的性格。

huà shuō sān guó shí qī, cáo cāo tǒng yī běi fāng hòu, yě xīn bó bó, zhǔn bèi nán xià gōng dá sūn quán hé liú bèi. cáo cāo shēn zhī liáng zhōu cì shǐ mǎ téng shì lì qiáng dà, yòu yǔ tā sù yǒu xián xì, dān xīn mǎ téng huì chèn jī zuò luàn, biàn shè jì jiāng tā piàn dào xǔ dū, rán hòu jiāng qí shā hài. cáo cāo de móu shì xún yōu céng quàn jiè dào: “mǎ téng cǐ rén, xīnhuái pǒcè, bù kě bù fáng.” cáo cāo biǎo miàn shàng duì mǎ téng lǐ yù yǒu jiā, àn dì lǐ què bù xià tiān luó dì wǎng. mǎ téng qǐ chū bù xiāngxìn zìjǐ zhí zi mǎ dài de jǐng gào, yǐ wéi cáo cāo duì tā bìng wú è yì, biàn dài zhe ér zi mǎ xiū yī tóng qián wǎng xǔ dū. jié guǒ, mǎ téng fù zǐ luò rù cáo cāo de quǎn tào, cǎn zāo shā hài. zhè biàn shì lì shǐ shàng yǒu míng de “mǎ téng zhī sǐ”, yě tǐ xiàn le cáo cāo xīnhuái pǒcè de xìng gé.

During the Three Kingdoms period in China, after Cao Cao unified the north, he was ambitious and prepared to attack Sun Quan and Liu Bei in the south. Cao Cao knew that Ma Teng, the governor of Liangzhou, was powerful and had long-standing conflicts with him. Fearing that Ma Teng would rebel during his campaign, he plotted to lure him to Xu and then had him killed. Cao Cao's strategist Xun You once cautioned, "Ma Teng is untrustworthy and must be guarded against." Cao Cao outwardly treated Ma Teng with courtesy, but secretly laid a trap. Ma Teng initially didn't believe the warnings from his nephew Ma Dai, thinking Cao Cao had no ill intentions, and went to Xu with his son Ma Xiu. As a result, Ma Teng and his son fell into Cao Cao's trap and were tragically killed. This is the famous "death of Ma Teng" in history, also highlighting Cao Cao's sinister intentions.

Usage

用来形容某人存心不良，不可猜测。

yòng lái xíngróng mǒu rén cún xīn bù liáng, bù kě cāicè

Used to describe someone with evil intentions that are impossible to guess.

Examples

• 他表面上很和善，实际上心怀叵测。

  tā biǎomiànshàng hěn héshàn, shíjìshàng xīnhuái pǒcè

  He is outwardly kind, but actually has evil intentions.

• 不要和那些心怀叵测的人来往。

  bùyào hé nàxiē xīnhuái pǒcè de rén lái wǎng

  Don't associate with those who harbor evil intentions.

Related Idioms

• 阴险狡诈

• 居心叵测

• 别有用心

Opposite Idioms

• 光明磊落

• 坦荡光明

• 胸襟开阔