xīn li yǒu guǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to have secret motives / to have a guilty conscience
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-20b5f6db75b4c152. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

心裡有鬼 心里有鬼 [xin1 li5 you3 gui3] /to have secret motives/to have a guilty conscience/

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.

Other forms in these source records: 心裡有鬼

  • 心
    xīn

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

  • 里
    lǐ

    lining / interior / inside / internal / also written 裏|里[lǐ] / li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhèn] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lín] levels

    Lǐ

    surname Li

  • 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.