身 在 曹 营 心 在 汉

shēn zài Cáo yíng xīn zài Hàndictionary entry

live in Cao camp but have the heart in Han camp (idiom) / to be somewhere while longing to be somewhere else

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-acd07894555ec880. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

身在曹營心在漢 身在曹营心在汉 [shen1 zai4 Cao2 ying2 xin1 zai4 Han4] /live in Cao camp but have the heart in Han camp (idiom)/to be somewhere while longing to be somewhere else/

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: 身在曹營心在漢

身
shēn
body / life / oneself / personally / one's morality and conduct / the main part of a structure or body / pregnant / classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset / Kangxi radical 158
在
zài
to exist / to be alive / (of sb or sth) to be (located) at / (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
曹
cáo
class or grade / generation / plaintiff and defendant (old) / government department (old)
Cáo
surname Cao / Zhou Dynasty vassal state
营
yíng
camp / barracks / battalion / to build / to operate / to manage / to strive for
心
xīn
heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]
在
zài
to exist / to be alive / (of sb or sth) to be (located) at / (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
汉
hàn
man
Hàn
Han ethnic group / Chinese (language) / the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.