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心中有鬼

xīn zhōng yǒu guǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to harbor ulterior motives (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1d5f13ed2479ce21. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

心中有鬼 心中有鬼 [xin1 zhong1 you3 gui3] /to harbor ulterior motives (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 心
    xīn

    heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]

  • 中
    zhōng

    within / among / in / middle / center / while (doing sth) / during / (dialect) OK / all right

    zhòng

    to hit (a target) / to be struck by (a bullet, illness etc) / to win (a prize or lottery)

    Zhōng

    (bound form) China / Chinese / surname Zhong

  • 有
    yǒu

    to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 鬼
    guǐ

    disembodied spirit / ghost / devil / (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc / sly / crafty / resourceful (variant of 詭|诡[guǐ]) / one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.