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别有用心 (bié yǒu yòng xīn) — to have an ulterior motive; to have a hidden agenda

Definition

A formal idiom: someone 别有用心 is acting with a hidden, selfish purpose — what they say hides a real agenda. Used to flag suspicious motives, never for everyday small disagreements.

idiom
to have an ulterior motiveto have a hidden agenda

Examples

  • ，别有用心。
    Tā zhè me shuō, jué duì shì bié yǒu yòng xīn.
    He is definitely saying this with an ulterior motive.
  • 别有用心，。
    Nà ge jiàn yì míng xiǎn bié yǒu yòng xīn, bù néng jiē shòu.
    That suggestion clearly has an ulterior motive — we can't accept it.
  • 别有用心，。
    Tā zhè ge rén bié yǒu yòng xīn, zǒng shì tú móu bù guǐ.
    He is a person with ulterior motives, always plotting something.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
Appears in
Attitudes & OpinionsIdioms & Set Phrases

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