私心妄念 selfish thoughts
Explanation
指为个人利益打算的种种想法，带有贬义，侧重于不顾大局，只顾自己利益的想法。
Refers to various thoughts for personal gain, with a derogatory meaning, emphasizing thoughts that disregard the overall situation and only consider one's own interests.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的诗人，他胸怀大志，一心想为国家做出贡献。可是，朝堂之上，党争激烈，小人当道。李白屡次上书，希望能为国家建言献策，却总是被那些心怀私心妄念的大臣们所阻拦。一次，他写了一首长诗《蜀道难》，诗中表达了他对国家的热爱和对小人当道的愤慨，也隐隐约约地透露了他内心的无奈和苦闷。此诗一出，便引起了很大的轰动，朝廷内外，纷纷传诵。然而，那些心怀私心妄念的大臣们，却对这首诗视而不见，仍然我行我素。李白看着这一切，无奈地叹了口气，他深知，在这个充满私心妄念的时代，想要实现自己的理想，是多么地困难。从此以后，李白更加专注于诗歌创作，他把自己的才华，都倾注在了诗歌之中，表达着他对理想的追求和对现实的批判。虽然他没能实现自己的政治抱负，但是他的诗歌，却流传千古，成为了中华民族宝贵的文化遗产。
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai, who had great ambitions and wanted to contribute to the country. However, in the court, there were fierce political struggles, and corrupt officials were in power. Li Bai repeatedly submitted memorials, hoping to offer advice to the country, but he was always obstructed by those officials with selfish thoughts. Once, he wrote a long poem "Shu Dao Nan", in which he expressed his love for the country and his indignation at the prevalence of corrupt officials, and also implicitly revealed his inner helplessness and distress. As soon as the poem was published, it caused a great sensation, and it was widely recited both inside and outside the court. However, those officials with selfish thoughts turned a blind eye to this poem and continued to do their own thing. Li Bai sighed helplessly at this, and he knew that in this era full of selfish thoughts, how difficult it would be to achieve his ideals. From then on, Li Bai focused more on poetry creation, and he poured all his talent into poetry, expressing his pursuit of ideals and his criticism of reality. Although he failed to achieve his political ambitions, his poems have been passed down through the ages and have become a precious cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.
Usage
用于形容一个人只顾个人利益，不顾大局的思想状态。
Used to describe a person's mental state of only caring about personal interests and ignoring the overall situation.
Examples
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他一心只想升官发财，满脑子都是私心妄念。
tā yīxīn zhǐ xiǎng shēng guān fā cái, mǎn nǎozi dōu shì sī xīn wàng niàn
He only wanted to be promoted and get rich, his mind was full of selfish thoughts.
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不要被私心妄念蒙蔽了双眼，要以大局为重。
bùyào bèi sī xīn wàng niàn méng bì le shuāng yǎn, yào yǐ dàjú wèi zhòng
Don't let selfish thoughts blind you; think of the bigger picture.
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为了个人利益，他竟然做出如此丧尽天良的事情，真是私心妄念作祟！
wèile gèrén lìyì, tā jìngrán zuò chū rúcǐ sàng jìn tiānláng de shìqíng, zhēnshi sī xīn wàng niàn zuò cuì
For personal gain, he actually did such a wicked thing. His selfish thoughts made him do it!